THEY are twice as hardy as normal ones and grow 15 per cent faster.

'Born' in Singapore but bred in Riau, the first batch of 'super seabass' arrived here from Indonesia on Thursday afternoon, causing a flap at the Jurong Fishery Port.

Weighing in at 500kg, the fish started their lives at the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority's Marine Aquaculture Centre (MAC) on St John's Island and were bred in an offshore farm in Riau.

The successful harvest opens up another lifeline to Singapore's food supply.

The fries were produced through selective breeding - a process which took about three years, said MAC head, Mr Lim Huan Sein. This means that generations of seabass were bred and selected for desirable qualities, including size and survival rates.

Some 800,000 fries have been supplied to overseas contract farms like the one in Riau, which is operated by a local-based fishing company, Marine Harvest, which expects to produce up to 100 metric tonnes of fresh fish monthly, through to 2008.

Although the volume may not be enough to satisfy the demand from Singaporeans - who consume about 72,000 tonnes of fresh fish yearly - it signals an important step forward for food sustainability, said Mr Lim.

Another large-scale marine farm is expected to come on stream in the Senang/Semakau area by the end of this year, with a projected production capacity of up to 3,000 metric tonnes of fish.