With effect from Mar. 18, seafood wholesale activities at Senoko Fishery Port will be shifting to Jurong Fishery Port.
The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) announced on Mar. 4 that seafood wholesale activities at Senoko will cease on Mar. 17, and that the premises will be closed to the public thereafter.
In June 2020, SFA had announced plans to close down the port at Senoko by 2023 and consolidate all seafood wholesale operations at Jurong.
SFA said in 2022 that Jurong Fishery Port would undergo renovations, during which a new extension with 20 market lots would be added. This would bring the total lots to 130, to accommodate the vendors shifting in from Senoko.
Why is it closing down?
The Senoko Fishery Port was first built in 1997. SFA describes it as having been a home base for Singapore's local fishing fleet.
However, according to ST, the last of the vessels at Senoko was sold off about two years ago owing to a general decline in local capture fisheries.
Thus, Senoko’s merchants get their stocks of fish from overseas sources such as Indonesia. The fish is dropped off at Jurong Fishery Port and driven over by lorries to Senoko for sale.
According to the SFA, the consolidation of the two fisheries "would allow trade buyers to purchase wholesale seafood conveniently at a single location."
It also outlined its efforts to ensure stakeholders — including tenants at Jurong, and the Singapore Fish Merchant's General Association — had "robust and updated" contingency plans in the event of disruption to Jurong Fishery Port's operations.
Looking ahead
The Straits Times reported that from Mar. 31 the 3.24ha site will be returned to the state, and that its future is not known.
Merchants and fishmongers interviewed by ST offered differing views on the move.
Some merchants are likely to retire with the closure as many of them are old and unwilling to make the daily trip to the new fishery.
Other merchants felt that the move will cut down on transportation costs they incur from having to drive fish over from Jurong.
On the other hand, the move to Jurong means a longer daily commute for the fishmongers based in wet markets in the North and East who currently purchase their stock from Senoko.
Top image by Andrew Koay