in Japan; Habitat status, and trade in Japan

・The Japanese (Anguilla japonica) is designated an endangered species by both the IUCN and Japan’ s Environment Ministry (MoE). Though distributed throughout eastern Asia, it is nevertheless genetically a single panmictic population and consequently requires international resource management.

・Continual anthropogenic change is affecting its natural habitat in rivers and coastal waters. Over 70% of viable habitat is reported to have been lost in the past 40 years.

・The trade in glass eels for input to the aquaculture industry in eastern Asia includes IUU (Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated) fishing and the media report that organized crime is involved.

・No major Japanese supermarkets currently source European eels. On the other hand, no major Japanese supermarket has stopped sourcing Japanese eels since they were declared endangered. Inadequate resource management

Migration of the Japanese eel Anguilla freshwater migration development glass eel phase yellow eel larval migration breeding (larva) Kuroshio migration Current silver eel Northern Mariana Islands

spawning egg [Fig.1]

(t) 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000

0 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 (year) [Fig.2] Annual eel catch from freshwater (tonnes)

2

oceanic stage

harvesting

aquaculture consumption

egg Leptocephalus (larva) glass eel

[Fig.3]

Input limit 78.8t 37.8t 40.4t Actual input Actual input 2015 2016 [Fig.4] The limit set for the four countries/territories and the actual quantity of eel seeds [1] [2] EstuarineCoastal and Shelf Science Anguilla japonica Marine Ecology Progress Series Anguilla japonica Marine Biology 3 IUU (Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated) fishing and illegal trading

Tokyo Nagoya

Fukuoka

Tokyo(Narita + Haneda) ６.1％ Kansai ０.1％ Chūbu Centrair International Airport (Nagoya) Fukuoka ３1.6％ ６２.1％ Chinese Taipei Illegal Hong Kong Airports importing glass eels to Japan, 2016. [Fig.1] kg 16,000 14,000 12,000 10,000 8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000 0 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 year Chinese Taipei Hong Kong others [Fig.2] Annual imports of glass eels (kg) (Ministry of Finance)

4

yakuza

(ｔ) Unreported catch Reported catch

8.1 5.7 7.7 4.1 3.7 2 9.3 9.6 5.4 5.3 5.9 3.2 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16

[Fig.3] Japan’s annual catch of glass eels (tonnes) Kyodo News investigation as reported by Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun. Article from the business magazine June 15th 2017 Wedge on the connection between eel smuggling and crime syndicates. 5 A.anguilla (ｔ) 120 100 80 A.anguilla 60 40 20 A. rostrata 0 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

East Asia Southeast Asia Europe & North Africa America Other regions Abicolor [Fig.4] Annual imports of glass eels as “eel seeds” to , Hong Kong, Japan, and Chinese Taipei, and their sources. (tonnes)

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]

Sales of processed eel in Japan

Do-yo-no-ushi gyūdon A supermarket display dominated by eel for Do-yo-no-ushi kabayaki A. AnguillaA. rostrata

6

DNA survey (2014) Survey of species sourced (2015) supermarket chain or supermarket sample ID company response DNA test result European eel American eel Japanese eel bicolor A a1 Did not respond Japanese eel Declined to participate b1 Did not respond European eel B Declined to participate b2 Did not respond European eel C c1 European eel American eel Not sourced Not sourced Sourced Not sourced D d1 American eel European eel Not sourced Not sourced Sourced Not sourced E e1 European eel American eel Not sourced Not sourced Sourced Not sourced f1 European eel American eel F European eel Not sourced Not sourced Sourced Not sourced f2 Revised response：Japanese eel Japanese eel Japanese eel G g1 European eel Not sourced Not sourced Sourced Not sourced Revised response：European eel H h1 Japanese eel Japanese eel Not sourced Not sourced Sourced Sourced I i1 Japanese eel Japanese eel Not sourced Not sourced Sourced Not sourced j1 Japanese eel Japanese eel J Not sourced Sourced Sourced Not sourced j2 Japanese eel Japanese eel K k1 European eel European eel Not sourced Sourced Sourced Not sourced L l1 European eel European eel Not sourced Not sourced Sourced Not sourced M m1 Japanese eel Japanese eel Not sourced Not sourced Sourced Not sourced N n1 European eel European eel Not sourced Not sourced Sourced Not sourced O - Not tested. Not sourced Not sourced Sourced Not sourced

kabayaki

kabayaki unagi kabayaki Do-yo-no-ushi gyūdon kabayaki A. AnguillaA. rostrata

7 Man-made structures make Japan’s rivers hazardous for eels: A citizens’ investigation

Japan Wildlife Conservation Society (JWCS) 102 MoutAPT. 1-11-19,Sakai Musashino-shi, Tokyo,Japan 180-0022 Tel/Fax:+81-(0)422-54-4885 www.jwcs.org/en [email protected] 8