Japan to Launch World's First Commercial Sale of Cultured Eel

Japanese fisheries said on Tuesday they would launch the world's first sale to the public of sea snakes (anago) that are farmed and bred entirely in farms, amid global concerns about dwindling snake populations in the wild.

Online stores managed by major retailer Aeon Group will sell the product on a trial basis starting May 29, at a price of around 5,000 yen ($42) per tail.

At a media event on Tuesday, Agriculture Minister Norikazu Suzuki ate a dish of grilled eel or "kabayaki" prepared with eels that had been farmed and raised in ponds.

Minister Suzuki said the government would continue to support efforts to bring fully cultured eels to the public because maintaining the sustainability of eel populations is becoming increasingly important, launching Kyodo News on May 20.

Most eels consumed in Japan are caught in the sea at the beginning of their life cycle and raised in fish farms.

But as the sustainability of wild eel populations faces increasing pressures, efforts are underway to commercialize eel production using eggs taken from farmed eels.

The cost of fish feed and labor is very burdensome for this business, but improvements through technological advances have helped reduce production costs drastically.

From the cultivation costs of around 40,000 yen per eel during the 2016 fiscal year, the figure has dropped to around 1,800 yen today, according to the Japanese Fisheries Research and Education Agency.

The goal now is to bring it down to around 800 yen, as the current cost is still three to four times higher than that of naturally caught eel farming.

Amid concerns about the sustainability of the eel population, the government plans to change the production method so that by 2050, all eels distributed will be artificially hatched from eggs and raised in fish farms.