A:
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The term "eel" covers both fresh eels and processed products such as seasoned and unseasoned grilled eel. Eels can also be wild or farmed, can't they?
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B:
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That's right. Eel was traditionally grilled with seasoning to be eaten as a source of stamina in the summer. Fresh eels are mainly used at kabayaki grilled eel restaurants, while seasoned and unseasoned grilled eel is consumed in the food service industry at places such as restaurants and eating establishments that do not specialize in eels, and also sold through stores such as supermarkets.
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A:
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The sight of eels being fanned as they grill in the muggy heat has become a traditional part of summer. The white smoke and appetizing aroma is unbeatable.
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B:
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People have traditionally eaten eel to give them stamina on doyo-ushi day in the summer in order to give them extra stamina. Now that eel is imported, however, it can be eaten all year round, and even around Lake Hamana in Shizuoka Prefecture, which is the home of eel farming in Japan, imported farmed eel is used.
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A:
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Yes, that's due to various factors that have resulted in a precipitous decline in the number of eel farmers, such as the aging of farmers and a shortage of successors, the dramatic decline in wild eel numbers, competition from imports, and the rise in the cost of elvers for farming and unit production costs. The number of eel farmers in Japan peaked at 3,250 households in 1973, but this figure has since dropped 80% to 651 households in 1997.
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B:
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What is domestic eel output like?
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A:
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Total yield in Japan including both wild and farmed eels peaked at 41,094 tons in 1985. Yields over the past five years have been as follows:
| 1994 |
29,431 tons
|
| 1995 |
29,131 tons |
| 1996 |
28,616 tons |
| 1997 |
25,031 tons |
| 1998 |
22,845 tons |
Almost all eel produced in Japan is farmed. In 1998, for example, 96% was farmed and just 4% was wild eel.
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B:
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What's the situation like regarding imports?
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A:
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Total imports of fresh and processed eel over the past few years have been as follows:
|
Tons |
Value |
| 1994 |
54,844 |
\114,198,000,000 |
| 1995 |
48,128 |
\108,797,000,000 |
| 1996 |
56,945 |
\123,554,000,000 |
| 1997 |
68,910 |
\137,182,000,000 |
| 1998 |
65,049 |
\112,347,000,000 |
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B:
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Where are the main sources of imports? By type, imports in 1998 were as follows:
| Fresh eel |
13,047 tons
|
\27,626,000,000 (24.6%)
|
Processed eel
|
52,002 tons |
\84,721,000,000 (75.4%) |
As the figures show, processed eel comprises three quarters of imports. Broken down by region, the main sources of imports are as follows:
- Fresh eel
| Taiwan |
\14,069,000,000 (50.9%)
|
| China |
\7,978,000,000 (28.9%) |
Hong Kong
|
\4,542,000,000 (16.4%) |
| Malaysia |
\861,000,000 (3.2%) |
| Others |
\176,000,000 (0.6%) |
- Processed eel
| China |
\76,746,000,000 (90.6%)
|
| Taiwan |
\5,566,000,000 (6.6%) |
| Malaysia |
\1,645,000,000 (1.9%) |
| Others |
\764,000,000 (0.9%) |
Fresh eel is imported mainly by air.
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A:
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Is any eel exported?
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B:
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Yes, though only a little. Fresh eel exports in 1997 and 1998 were as follows:
| 1997 |
\138,000,000 |
| 1998 |
\119,000,000 |
The main destinations were as follows:
|
1997 |
1998 |
| Taiwan |
\138,000,000 |
\98,000,000 |
Hong Kong
|
\0 |
\21,000,000 |
These appear to be exports of wild Japanese eel imported directly by Japanese restaurants in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
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A:
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I've heard that elvers are imported.
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B:
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That's right. Obtaining elvers is the biggest problem confronting eel farmers in Japan. They are therefore imported from places such as Taiwan, Hong Kong and France.
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A:
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Where in Japan are eels farmed?
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B:
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Mainly in Aichi, Kagoshima and Shizuoka, followed by other prefectures such as Miyazaki, Kochi, Tokushima and Mie.
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A:
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Have there been any cases of Japanese eel farmers expanding overseas?
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B:
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Some Japanese firms have apparently been involved in joint ventures in Taiwan and China, but there don't seem to have been any that have set up their own operations overseas by themselves.
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A:
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Who are the main importers of eel?
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B:
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Trading companies, I believe, though there are also some supermarkets that import directly. On one occasion, a Philippine firm said they wanted to export directly to supermarkets in Japan. A certain supermarket showed an interest and wanted them to come to Japan for a full, two-day discussion about eels.
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A:
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Don't you mean two hours?
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B:
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No, two days. That's how knowledgeable the supermarket's rep was about eels.
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A:
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And what happened?
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B:
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The supermarket contacted the firm, but they didn't get back in touch. Perhaps they were frightened off, but at any rate it seems they gave up.
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A:
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What are the prospects for the future like?
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B:
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For the reasons I mentioned, the number of eel farmers in Japan will probably continue to fall. In addition, businesses and other users are increasingly looking for greater simplicity (e.g. being able to cook processed eel such as unseasoned and seasoned grilled eel in individual packs in microwave ovens or boiling water) and cheaper, more dependable supplies. Demand is also shifting from fresh to processed eel as a result of advances in processing techniques, and imports of processed eel from countries such as China will likely increase. Although imports from China and Taiwan are mainly of Japonica eels (the same species as in Japan), use of cheap European Anguilla eel for processed eel is increasing in both these countries, and if the profitability of farming Anguilla can be increased by improving the slower growth of this species due to the slightly lower water temperature, then the likelihood is that imports of processed Anguilla eel will also increase.
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A:
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Are eel imports subject to import duty?
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B:
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Imports of elvers for farming are not subject to import duty. Duty on fresh eel is 5%, and that on processed eel is 9.6%.
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Source: Statistics from Japan Trade Monthly.
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