The three brothers behind this ornamental fish farm in Seletar West Farmway 4 devoted more than half their lives to their fish business.
Come Nov 15, they are winding up the business as the land will be taken back by their landlord.
But they still have about 27 tanks of fish to sell off before they can put up the shutters for good.
The brothers wanted to be known only by their surname Bai.
They started the business in Sembawang in the 1970s.
The farm then moved to Tampines and then to Pasir Ris. In February this year, it moved to Seletar West because the Pasir Ris land had also been slated for redevelopment.
Now, the brothers have to move again, as their space in Seletar is also being taken back by the Government. Said the youngest Mr Bai, who, like his brothers, is in his 60s: “There were a lot of rumours, but a month ago, the landlord suddenly told us that we had to leave by mid-November because they need time to reinstate the land before returning it to the Government. It was very sudden.”
Photo GalleryEnd of the line for fish farm at Seletar West Farmway
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The brothers say they were not aware that the land had been slated for redevelopment when they moved there earlier this year.
They added that they were told about the move only in May. The Nov 15 date, they say, was only confirmed last month.
The New Paper reached out to the landlord, who declined to comment.
The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) told TNP that the tenancy of this particular piece of land was initially slated to expire in May.
It said the main tenant had been aware of this since 2008.
An extension was granted till Jan 31 next year, and this was communicated to the main tenant in March this year.
Despite the turn of events, the brothers say it has helped them make the decision to move on from the business.
“Each move we make, we spend tens of thousands and it will take a few months, it is very tiring to do so,” said Mr Bai.
The brothers learnt how to rear fishes from their father. He taught them how to handle grass carp, bighead carp and common carp, which the family reared for their own consumption.
CUSTOMERS
The brothers, who have nine other siblings, went on to start the business. Another brother handles the breeding of the fish. Some of the farm’s most popular fishes are the blue angelfish (inset), which sell for over $20 each, and guppies, which are going for 50 cents a fish.
The farm also sells breeds such as the holland ram fish and short body pink convict cichlid.
When TNP visited the farm last weekend, there was a steady stream of customers buying fishes that were being sold at discounted prices.
Regular customer Harry Tan, 46, brought his son, Yu Liang, nine.
Mr Tan, who used to own an aquarium shop, said he has known the brothers since their farm was operating in Pasir Ris.
He said: “I would go around the island to take a look at fish. I came across their farm and found that their prices were very reasonable… Their fishes look very healthy as well.
We (eventually) became friends,” said Mr Tan, who is now a sales representative.
Another customer, videographer Tommy Fok, 34, bought $26 worth of fishes.
He said: “I read online that this place was closing down, so I decided to check it out with my family.
“This place is very different from our urbanised Singapore. It’s very kampung-like and I think its a pity that places like this are disappearing one by one.”
The middle brother, Mr Bai, 64, told TNP that customers have been streaming in over the last two weeks, since news of their closure was first posted on news site Mothership and Facebook.
The youngest Mr Bai added: “We used to have a much bigger place in Pasir Ris, but hardly anyone came. Now that we are closing down, we suddenly see so many customers.”
The brothers’ retirement plan?
Said the youngest brother: “We are not sure yet, we will just take one step at a time for now. After all, we are so old already, who would want to hire us if we were to look for a job?”
Another fish farm gets extension
The Bai brothers’ fish farm is one of two at Seletar West Farmway that has to move aside for redevelopment.
C & B Aquarium, which is at Seletar West Farmway 1, told The New Paper that it was supposed to vacate by May this year. But it received an extension till December 2018.
Madam Lim Ai Keng, who is in her 60s and runs the aquarium with her husband, said: “We have been around since the 80s.” She said that after the extension, she plans to close shop for good.
“If we were to move, we have to spend about $1 million to $2 million to set up a new place and build the facilities.
“Also, the aquarium business hasn’t been good in recent years, so I think our shutdown is timely, even though we can’t bear to leave the place” she added.
The Straits Times reported in 2010 that the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) is working closely with relevant agencies to extend the tenancies of the affected businesses.
Causes For Animals, a dog shelter at Seletar West Farmway 5, said its lease will be extended till the end of next year.
Founder Christine Tan, 27, said: “We have been extending our lease annually for the past four years.”
EXPENSIVE
When asked if they have already started looking for another place, the teacher told TNP that they have always been looking for places to rent in case the lease is up.
She said: “But if we were to purchase a (plot of) land by ourselves, it would be very expensive. It’s a seven-figure sum and we don’t have enough funds.”
Tenants in other areas such as Pasir Ris Farmway and Lim Chu Kang face the same fate.
Ericsson Pet Farm and fish farm Swift Singapore, along with several animal shelters, will have to vacate Pasir Ris Farmway by the end of next year to make way for industrial development.
There are more than 1,000 dogs and about 800 cats housed in shelters there.
For the Lim Chu Kang area, the Government announced in June that by the end of 2019, all 62 farms there will have to make way for the Defence Ministry’s new training grounds.
To give the farms more time, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) had pushed back the original 2017 deadline for them to move out, reported The Straits Times.
Affected farmers will be able to bid for new farmland early next year. The first tranche of land sales will be launched next year.
This article was first published on November 12, 2016.
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