Eel prices in Japan expected to surge again as size of catches shrink
TOKYO: A hike in the price of eel is expected prior to this summer’s “doyo no ushi no hi” - traditional eel-eating days that fall on July 20 and Aug 1 this year - due to poor catches of young eel this season.
The trade price of adult eel is about 50 per cent higher than the previous year, and eel-specialty restaurants are already moving to raise prices. Prices of eel dishes are likely to be extremely high this summer.
According to the Fisheries Agency, catches of glass eel, or young Japanese eel, have been low this season, causing a decline in the volume of glass eels that are put into domestic aquaculture ponds. In the fishing season between November last year and April this year the catch was only 14 tons, making it likely to be the secondlowest on record.
The size of this season’s catch is about 70 per cent of the amount caught last year and is predicted to be the second-lowest since 2006 when data was first recorded. The lowest catch on record was 12.6 tons logged in 2013.
China and Taiwan also suffered poor catches this season, and the trade price of juvenile eel remains high, at one point exceeding three million yen (RM108,000) per kg, or three times as high as in the previous year.
Ninety-nine per cent of domestic eel are farmed. Most eels are reared in aquaculture ponds for about 18 months before being shipped. However, eels that were put into the ponds between November last year and January this year are being shipped after only about six months in ponds, which is also likely to affect prices this summer.
According to the Union of Eel Farmers Cooperatives of Japan, the trade price of adult eels per kg - about five eels - is 5,300 yen (RM192) , about 50 per cent higher than last year.— Yomiuri Shimbun