Cell-cultured seafood, or protein derived from muscle cells grown in a lab, is poised to become the biggest innovation in the seafood industry since the invention of the fishing net. In recent years, dozens of start-ups have attracted billions of dollars in funding to pursue the cultivation of species ranging from bluefin tuna to lobster to oysters to salmon. There are even a few companies pursuing the creation of cell-based caviar. Singapore has been a leader in cultivating this nascent industry and is currently the only place in the world that permits the commercial sale of cultivated protein (though U.S. approval is likely coming soon). Cell-cultured seafood promoters tout its potential to address consumers’ biggest concerns about the protein, promising they’ll no longer have to worry about issues such as mercury, antibiotic, or microplastics contamination, bycatch, overfishing, or labor abuse. But can the industry meet the impossibly high expectations it’s developing? And will Singapore continue to lead the charge, or will fast-moving competition from China, Europe, and the United States catch up?