World Aquaculture - December 2014

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• WORLD AQUACULTURE • DECEMBER 2014 29
The continuous decline
in eel production from wild
capture fisheries has become
a formidable issue globally.
Most eel populations have
already been declared to be
threatened or close to extinction.
However, eel demand for
human consumption continues
to grow, particularly in Asia.
Consequently, because of
limited glass eel supply from
the wild and unsuccessful
commercial glass eel production
technology, the glass eel price
has surged to a historic high.
As a result, eel production has
become one of the most difficult
and challenging aquaculture
industries in the world.
Despite three decades of
phenomenal research advances,
the scientific community
has not been able to develop
the complete package for eel
farming on a commercial scale.
At present, Japan is the only
country to have developed
a complete eel production
technology but the production of
seedlings is insufficient to meet
international demand.
Eel Aquaculture
in Korea
In Korea, Pukyong
National University initiated
research on the Japanese eel
Anguilla japonica in 2002
and achieved success in fertilizing eggs. In 2006, a majority of
the eel research moved to the country’s largest fisheries research
institution, the National Fisheries Research & Development
Institute (NFRDI). Subsequently Korea’s government policy was
targeted to develop complete aquafarming technology for eel in the
near future. After a decade of research efforts, Korea has finally
Dietary Requirements for Ascorbic Acid,α-Tocopheryl Acetate and
Arachidonic Acid in Japanese Eel,
Anguilla japonica
Sungchul C. Bai, Kumar Katya and Hyeonho Yun
produced two individual glass
eels for aquaculture. Korea
should soon have a complete
aquafarming package for eels
and begin to play a greater role
in global eel production (Bai
et. al. 2012).
Not surprisingly, despite
the lack of a comprehensive
technical package for eel
aquafarming and complete
dependence on nature for glass
eels, aquaculture production
has developed impressively
in Korea. Japanese eel
production accounts for
27 percent of freshwater
aquaculture in Korea, due
to historical high demand in
domestic and international
markets, especially in Japan.
Production of eel increased
from a negligible value of 500
t in 1980 to 4,257 t in 2012
(Fig. 1). However, aquaculture
production of eels peaked in
2010 and then declined in the
next two years. Every year, 10
to 20 t of 0.2-g wild captured
glass eel are stocked and
grown to 200-g marketable
size within one year. However,
in 2012, only 2 t of glass eel
were captured domestically
and 7-8 t were imported
from different countries.
The current market price for
glass eels is around $7 per
individual ($35,000/kg) while
market-size eel fetches a premium price of around $50-70/kg at the
farm gate (Fig. 2, Bai et. al. 2012).
Favorable government support that spurred research and
the growing experience of farmers based on trial and error have
established a strong foundation for eel aquaculture. Consistent
TOP, FIGURE 1. Eel production trend in Korea and the world. BOTTOM,
FIGURE 2. Trend in glass eel capture and price.
The continuous decline in eel production
from wild capture fisheries has become
a formidable issue globally. Most eel
populations have already been declared to
be threatened or close to extinction.
However, eel demand for human consumption
continues to grow, particularly in Asia.
( C O N T I N U E D O N P A G E 3 0 )