International online workshop to discuss Japanese eel fisheries data

Japanese eel fisheries is a billion dollar industry, but effective management is required to ensure its sustainability. Because of the unique life history of Japanese eel the species is considered panmictic, or a single fisheries stock. In addition, the geographic distribution of Japanese eel spans political borders. Therefore, international collaboration for the management of Japanese eel fisheries is essential. Currently international Japanese eel fisheries management is facilitated by annual ‘Informal Consultations’ among the four key members: Japan, China, Chinese Taipei, and Korea. As part of these consultations, two international task teams were recently formed to help improve communication and collaboration among scientists working on Japanese eel. On February 13th 2023 scientists and fisheries managers from Japan, China, Chinese Taipei, Korea, Philippines, and Indonesia met online for the first task team workshop, led by Dr Leanne Faulks from the Institute of Freshwater Biology Nagano University. The aim of this workshop was to discuss the importance of, as well as progress and challenges in, collecting long-term time-series fisheries data on Japanese eel. Researchers presented results on: the synchronized nature of Japanese eel catch across the region and evidence for a decline in catch over recent decades, the importance of optimizing aquaculture activities for the long-term sustainability of the system, and the application of eDNA techniques to help determine the distribution and abundance of eel species in northeast Asia. Participants of the workshop also discussed the nature of the fisheries catch data that is currently collated and used to help make fisheries management decisions and how this data can be standardized and improved in the future. Overall the workshop was very successful and it is hoped that communication among the members of the ‘Informal Consultations’ will continue so that Japanese eel fisheries remains sustainable.