Science Journals: Lessons from weird fish sold in Singapore's wet markets

Straits Times

3 days ago

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An assortment of seafood is laid on the ground at Jurong Fishery Port. They are placed on ice to retain their freshness.
SINGAPORE – Just like how the depths of the deep sea are home to strange, little-known creatures, Singapore's wet markets also dazzle visitors with a rich diversity of seafood.
Even after spending a year surveying the seafood sections of markets here, Mr Elliott James Ong and Mr Kenny Lek say there are fish they have seen only once.
United by a love for seafood, the pair
founded Pasarfish in 2024 . It is an initiative that researches and teaches the sustainable consumption and heritage of seafood sold in supermarkets and wet markets.
Despite the long tradition of Singapore's wet markets, little is known about the rich variety of catches that these ageing facilities showcase, with the last catalogue compiled in the 1990s by the Primary Production Department.
The median age of market stallholders is 63, according to the National Environment Agency, which manages most of the markets here.
Mr Ong, 29, and Mr Lek, 33, started compiling their own catalogue from June 2024 to fill this gap in knowledge.
'Knowing the identities of these fish and their abundance allows us to track their origins, fishing methods and sustainability,' said Mr Ong.
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Pasarfish marries the co-founders' seemingly incompatible passions of food and conservation by advocating for consumption of seafood that does not drive marine life to the brink of extinction.
As at July, Pasarfish has collected data on more than 200 species sold in markets here, with the hope of pushing for more traceability and sustainability assessments of Singapore's seafood supply chains.
Of all the creatures catalogued from their visits, a strange golden fish from a small bucket at Tekka Market in Little India stands out.
The stallholder selling the semi-translucent species told Mr Lek that it was an Asian arowana. But the only resemblance between the mystery specimen and the arowana was a large, upturned mouth. When pressed further, the woman said she had bought the fish from Jurong Fishery Port, which handles the vast majority of Singapore's imported seafood.
Mr Lek said: 'They didn't really have an idea of where this species actually came from and whether it was caught on a regular basis.
Of all the creatures catalogued from Pasarfish's visits, a strange golden fish from a small bucket at Tekka Market in Little India stands out.
PHOTO: PASARFISH
'They just bought it from this fish trader from Jurong Fishery Port from a random bucket.'
The fish's identity was unravelled on the same day with the help of Major-General William Farquhar, the first British resident and commandant of colonial Singapore. A Google search of the fish's features netted a 19th-century picture from the Farquhar Collection, a series of watercolour paintings by Chinese artists of flora and fauna that the leader commissioned.
Said Mr Ong: 'It was a perfect match.' The painting was labelled in a neat, slanted script, with one of its local names, ikan biang biang, otherwise known as the shorthead hairfin anchovy.
The pair theorised that the fish was likely commonly found at markets back then.
The mystery of the anchovy stemmed from the fact that it had been forgotten and people now no longer know how to cook it, they concluded.
The coastal fish is common in Indonesia and Malaysia, where it is usually fried or salted. In Sarawak, the anchovy features in a raw fish delicacy called umai, where thin slices are cured with the sour juice of a native palm fruit and tossed with tropical herbs.
It is unclear why stallholders buy fish they do not know since the species tend to be unpopular with consumers, said Mr Ong, who has encountered such situations several times.
He added: 'Honestly, they go at very low prices, so there's no commercial value.'
Still, these weird finds can contribute to science.
Some of the anchovies were delivered to the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, where they will remain as physical records of fish sold in Singapore markets.
Dr Tan Heok Hui, the museum's senior collection manager of fishes, said the species was collected because it was uncommon in Singapore.
'Once it is deposited in the museum, it provides a time stamp, a possible genetic resource and historical record,' he added. 'The fact that it is uncommon in the trade in Singapore could lead to its inclusion into social history and trends of consumption.'
Such resources can aid comparative studies as well as the tracking, tracing and managing of fish reserves.
Wet markets can also be treasure troves for discovering new fish.
Dr Tan said: 'Not all fish are possible to catch with your own hands or set of tools. I would rely on fisherfolk for their skill set with larger nets to fish from deeper waters.'
Through forays into local markets in Indonesia, his team has uncovered new species such as the Crossocheilus obscurus carp and Hemibagrus velox catfish.
Yellowtail fish, which are traditionally overharvested, being sorted into baskets at Jurong Fishery Port on June 20.
ST PHOTO: ANG QING
On a grim note, considering a fish weird can be a symptom of overconsumption.
Worldwide, overharvesting has driven marine species' populations down, erasing them from collective memory as they become harder to find.
This was witnessed during Pasarfish's market tours to raise awareness about seafood heritage and sustainable consumption, said Mr Lek, when only older folk recognise the species sold.
I joined Pasarfish on one such tour at 2am on June 20 to learn more about Jurong Fishery Port, Singapore's sole port for fish.
The cacophony of different tongues reflects the international diversity of the port's wholesale market, where about 100 merchants display piles of fresh seafood kept fresh with ice.
There was hardly a moment of stillness throughout the two-hour tour. Sweaty men in yellow rubber boots processed prawns, sorted fish and shouted at idle buyers to get out of the way as they dragged baskets of slimy produce.
Mr Ong and Mr Lek's knowledge was apparent, as out of more than 80 species of seafood at the port that they shared details about, only one species baffled them. After a brief search online, they identified it on their Instagram page as the Hawaiian ladyfish.
Three ocellated parrotfish at Jurong Fishery Port. One of these was given away for free during the June 20 Pasarfish tour, a common practice for unpopular fish.
ST PHOTO: ANG QING
Another unusual fish we saw is the ocellated parrotfish that a fishmonger gave to Mr Ong for free, a practice often used to dispose of unpopular catch and build rapport.
Eating certain fish perceived to be strange, however, can be a good choice, as doing so can be more sustainable for popular species.
During the tour, our group of six encountered varying sizes of yellowtail fish, traditionally used to make fish balls. Mr Ong explained: 'This was historically one of the most common fish in Singapore. But they're not as common any more because the fish stocks are depleted.'
He pointed out that the smaller yellowtail we spotted were signs of overfishing and unsustainable practices, with the fish not having had time to grow before they were caught.
Instead, Mr Ong recommended using a wider range of fish for fish balls to avoid pressuring a single species. Other substitutes that can and have been used include wolf herring, milk fish and pike conger.
To help consumers make better choices, Pasarfish plans to launch a guide of 60 common fish from its year-long survey by listing their local names, price ranges and sustainability recommendations.