Japan is preparing for a milestone in aquaculture: the world's first sale of eels raised in captivity from the egg. The company Nissui has managed to complete the life cycle of the Japanese eel in the laboratory, overcoming the larval stage, the biggest technical obstacle. This breakthrough promises to reduce fishing of a threatened species.
The key was mastering the larval diet 🐟
The main challenge was feeding the transparent larvae, which did not accept artificial food. Nissui developed a special paste based on shark eggs and krill, mimicking their natural diet. After years of trials, they managed to grow the larvae to the adult stage in tanks. Now, the company plans an initial production of 100,000 eels per year, a modest volume but one that marks the beginning of a viable alternative to wild fishing.
Test-tube eels: the sushi of the future 🍣
Soon you might order an unagi don and ask whether the eel is wild or lab-grown. Sushi purists may frown, but the alternative is having no eel on the menu. At least the new eels have never seen a river, so they won't have any sad stories to tell. And hey, if the taste is the same, long live science, even if tradition protests a little.