Yanmar Collaborates on Mass-Production Eel Seedling Tank to Reduce Costs

The Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency (FRA), Yanmar Holdings Co., Ltd., and Marino-Forum 21 have jointly developed a new tank for the mass production of Japanese eel (Anguilla japonica) seedlings.

This initiative is part of a Fisheries Agency-commissioned project titled “Demonstration of Mass-Production System for Commercialization of Eel Seedlings.” The newly developed tank successfully produced approximately 1,000 glass eels, the translucent juvenile stage of some eel species, per tank and achieved a significant reduction in rearing costs.

The new tank is made of fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP), making it more cost-effective and suitable for mass production compared to conventional acrylic or polyvinyl tanks. Future enhancements, including improved tank design, more advanced rearing methods, and the development of an automatic feeding system, are expected to facilitate the broader implementation of artificially produced eel seedlings. The results of this research have been patented under the title “Tank and Device for Rearing Fish Larvae.”

A research paper, The development of a new tank for mass production of eel seedlings, has been published in the journal Fisheries Science.