Study on Eel Population Structure Featured in the Shinano Mainichi Shimbun

On August 2, 2025, the Shinano Mainichi Shimbun published an article titled “Eels Mostly Reproduce as a Single Population,” followed on August 3 by a detailed feature titled “Half a Century of Eel Research Reveals: Many Individuals Belong to a Single Reproductive Population – Study by Nagano University Professor’s Team.”

The articles introduce the findings of a research group led by Professor Hiroshi Hakoyama of the Institute for Freshwater Biology, Nagano University, which analyzed data spanning over half a century and revealed that most East Asian eels, including the Japanese eel (Anguilla japonica), form a single panmictic population.
This finding deepens our understanding of the genetic population structure underlying extinction-risk assessments and resource management, and provides important insights for future conservation policies and international management discussions.

Full article (Japanese):
Shinano Mainichi Shimbun | “Half a Century of Eel Research Reveals…”