China: The farming dilemma behind the surge in eel prices

The Japanese Eel Festival has led to a significant increase in the demand for live eels in Japan, resulting in a sharp rise in the price of live eels exported from mainland China. This increase is due to a harvest failure of Japanese eel seed in East Asia, stricter environmental protection supervision, and a decline in the survival rate of eel farming, leading to record low stocks of adult eels. Despite these price increases, farmers are finding it difficult to make profits due to high breeding costs and increasing operating expenses. The industry is also facing challenges such as rising feed prices and a decline in eel fry fishing, which is pushing up breeding costs. The China Eel Working Committee is focusing on improving domestic consumer awareness of eels, developing the domestic market, and exploring emerging markets. The industry is encouraged to sustainably manage wild eel seedling resources, improve breeding technologies, develop diversified products, enhance domestic consumer awareness and acceptance of eels, and seek government support to improve overall industry competitiveness.