January 22, 2015 — Prices for Japanese eels are falling after years of sharp increases, but the industry still faces challenges, including possible trade restrictions to protect the fish.
Thanks to a recovery in catches of juvenile eels — called elvers or glass eels — used for farming in the 2014 season, wholesale prices of Japanese eels have come down by 30-40% in the past year.
In addition, an international framework for regulations to protect eel stocks has been established recently.
Some 99% of eels in the Japanese market are farmed. Elvers caught in rivers in winter and spring are grown in aquaculture ponds for about half a year before being shipped. To prepare for the peak summer season, many Japanese eel farmers procure elvers from Taiwan, because the annual fishing season there starts early. As a result, elver catches in Taiwan have had a particularly big impact on eel supplies to the Japanese market in summer.
Read the full story from Nikkei Asian Review