In the sea off of Pulau Ubin, Singapore raising Golden Trevally & Pompano fish.

New fish farmer, Timothy Hromatka came from America to work in Singapore back in 1997.  Thereafter he lived in various countries in the region where he ran a successful sustainable wood products and furniture business. With his Singaporean wife and son he moved back in 2007 and bought a house in Pasir Ris overlooking the sea.  From the window of his home office he would look at the fish farms off of Pulau Ubin and thought of having a fish farm for a hobby and a place to relax.  He says, “When I was a kid in America we would relax at my uncle’s cabin on a lake, since here in a city you can’t have a cabin on a lake, I thought it would be nice to have a little cabin on the sea.”  And after looking at five farms that had come up for sale, with many broken down or too expensive, Timothy decided to build his own.  He had some extra wood, carpentry skills, as well as some free time and after obtaining a licence from AVA, he started to build his farm from scratch by himself.  Over the ensuing months he made lots of friends and discovered a whole new lifestyle.  He says: “Out here the community of fish farmers is really great.  On land you may not know your neighbours but out here everybody knows everybody else and looks out for each other.  There is some kampong spirit and besides, how may people can take a boat to work and fish over their lunch hour!”