鹿児島県培養鰻魚成功

Recently the Yomiuri News reported the following:　

世界で初めて「完全養殖」に成功したニホンウナギが、２世代目も順調にシラスウナギ（稚魚）まで成長した。水産総合研究センター（本部・横浜市）が発表した。

　同センターは「ウナギを量産化する目標に一歩近づいた」と話している。

　シラスウナギは、成魚と同じ体形になった段階。通常の養殖は、シラスウナギを捕獲して成魚まで育てる。卵からシラスウナギに育つまでの段階は、飼育が難しかった。

　同センターの志布志栽培漁業センター（鹿児島県）で今年３月、完全養殖したウナギから卵と精子を採取し、人工授精させた。数日で孵化し、稚魚になる前の段階の「仔魚」約１０００匹が成長中。このうち３０匹が、８月中にシラスウナギまで成長した。

For the first time in the world, Japan eels "Complete cultivation" had been succeeded and the second generation had grown up to the elver (fry) successfully, too. This was announced by the fishery synthesis research center (Yokohama City headquarters).

The same center was saying that "It is going one step closer to the target of mass-producing eels".

The elver is a stage that the same figure would become the adult fish. In traditional cultivation the elver is captured and raised into the adult fish. In breeding the stage from the egg to full grown elver is difficult.

The egg and the sperm were gathered from eels that were completely cultivated at the Shibushi aquaculture center of the same center (Kagoshima Prefecture) in March this year, and eggs were artificially fertilized. In several days it hatched, about 1000 grew into "Larval fish", a stage before becoming a fry. Among these 30 grew up to the elver by end of August.

This a a good news for many who love eating eels. If complete cultivation is successful, the supply of eels would be plenty and the price would be more affordable.