Aquarium tags exotic species RFID system gives Singapore visitors real-time info about the fish they see

Singapore’s aquarium has tagged some of its fishes using microchips to help visitors identify the different species on display.

Visitors to the Underwater World aquarium can see the name, species and other information displayed on a touch screen whenever any of the 20 tagged fishes swim past a sensor, said Peter Chew, sales and marketing manager at Underwater World.

“Gone are the days when visitors are happy looking at animals and matching them with the information on the sign boards,” Chew said.

Underwater World, which is on Singapore’s Sentosa island, is the first aquarium in the world to tag its exhibit fishes with microchips using the radio frequency identification technology, also known as RFID, Chew said.

The aquarium, which took three months to set up the $19,600 system, is also considering tagging sharks, he said.

Those tagged include arapaima, one of the world’s largest freshwater fish, and pacu, which is related to the piranha.