- Japan has achieved a breakthrough in aquaculture with the successful commercial production and sale of fully farmed eels, reducing reliance on wild-caught juvenile eels.
- The technology enables mass production of eel larvae, matching government research institution efficiency, and has been validated through successful trial sales at select retail outlets and online platforms.
- Commercialisation of full-cycle eel farming is viewed as a critical step toward ensuring a stable and sustainable eel supply amid global scrutiny and potential trade restrictions.
Japanese aquaculture firm Yamada Suisan began trial sales of the world’s first fully farmed eels on May 29, marking a milestone in efforts to reduce reliance on wild‑caught juvenile eels.
Japan’s Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Norikazu Suzuki, said the breakthrough was a key step toward long‑term resource management as the country continued to address supply constraints that have long plagued the sector.
“There has long been a challenge in the resource volume, especially of glass eels… I am truly proud of this initiative, which I feel is very much in line with Japanese values,” said Suzuki during a press conference on the same day.
Grilled eels, or unagi, are a culturally significant delicacy in Japan and other Asian markets, driving strong demand for Japanese eels (Anguilla japonica).
Japan’s own eel population has declined sharply over the years and has in place strict domestic regulations to limit the number of juvenile glass eel caught annually. It also relies on imports from China, Taiwan, and South Korea to meet domestic demand.
Producing fully-farmed eels were positioned as central to safeguarding eel supplies amid global scrutiny of declining populations and sustainability concerns.
Suzuki pointed to last year’s proposal under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which sparked intense debate over potential restrictions that could have significantly disrupted global eel trade.
While the proposal was eventually rejected during the 20th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP20), Suzuki highlighted Japan’s responsibility to move toward sustainable supply.
“I believe it is our responsibility as those who take, or rather, consume, natural resources to ensure their sustainability.”
While Japan’s domestic eel stocks were not currently at risk of collapse, the minister stressed that continued reliance on natural catch carries inherent limits.
“Currently, we do not fundamentally believe that our Japanese eels are at risk of such problems. However, as natural resources are naturally limited, if we overfish them, they will inevitably disappear. Therefore, we must make various efforts to prevent this from happening.”
A multi-generational effort
The commercialisation of the world’s fully farmed eels was commissioned by Japan’s Fisheries Agency.
Yamada Suisan has been involved in the project since fiscal 2022, working with the Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency to validate the reproducibility of full‑cycle eel aquaculture.
Since 2024, the company has produced more than 10,000 fully farmed eel larvae annually for two consecutive years, matching the output efficiency of government research institutions.
Beyond adopting the technology, it has also collaborated with the agency to refine mass‑production methods.
Building on this progress, Yamada Suisan has raised the farmed larvae to maturity and processed them into grilled eel
It launched trial sales through its own outlets, including Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi and a specialist store in Tsukiji, as well as via Aeon Group’s e‑commerce channels.
Suzuki commended the efforts of Japanese researchers who have spent decades developing full‑cycle breeding technology, describing it as a multi‑generational effort.
“It has already been several decades since this research first began. The other day, when I spoke with the researchers at the research site, I learnt that the person I spoke with was the third generation of researchers in the family. I am truly humbled by the long years of research efforts that have brought us to this point where we can sell the eels.”
