Eel Culture

Booklet No. 558

Fisheries and Aquaculture: FACS-14
Contents
Preface
I. Introduction
II. Types and Distribution of Eel
III. Life Cycle of Eel
IV. Pond Construction
V. Feeding of Eels
VI. Breeding of Eels
VII. Diseases and Pests
VIII. Management and Culture Techniques
IX. Methods of Eel Rearing
X. Conclusion

Preface

Eel is a fish that can be reared commercially by the people who have access to some
water bodies. It can be reared even by small and marginal farmers and people of small assets
provided they are organized by some body who is social minded. It can be run as a rural
industry at the rearing level, breeding level and at the processing level. In our country there is
plenty of scope for eel culture as we have a number of indigenous species growing naturally.
This perhaps is an area which is still unexplored in India. This booklet intends to throw some
light on this field of fisheries.

Dr. K. T. Chandy, Agricultural & Environmental Education

I. Introduction

Eel culture is much more developed in Japan than any other country in the world and it
is also leading in the production followed by Denmark, Italy, Holland, France, Sweden and other
countries. At present India does not figure at all in the list of eel producing countries though the
potential is quite high. Hence this booklet intends to highlight the possibility of eel culture in our
country .

II. Types and Distribution of Eel

There are sixteen species of eel found allover the world. Among them three are further
subdivided into subspecies. Hence there are totally 19 species of eel. Eels can be grouped into
two main groups: eels with long dorsal fins and eels with short dorsal fins. Fourteen species
belong to the long dorsal fins type and the rest two belong to the short dorsal fin type.

Eels also can be grouped on the basis of the number of vertibrae, the number of fin rays,
the number of rays in the pectoral fins, the length of the head, dentition etc. The number of
vertibrae in eels range from 100 to 119. The number of vertibrae in the eels of tropical region
are less compared to that of temperate region. Two morphological classifications of eels:
Anguilla japonica and Angttilla Inttrmorata are more important for the growers of eel. The
differentiating characteristics of these two groups are given in table 1. Table 1: Morphological
comparison of A. japonica and A. marmorata Anguilla japonica Anguilla marmorata
 Table 1: Morphological comparison of A. japonica and A. marmorata

Sl.No Anguilla japonica Anguilla marmorata

1 No spots on the surface of body
2 Head length is longer than the
length between beginning of
dorsal fin and anus
3 Vertebrae are 112-119 in number
4 Size 40-50 cm, rarely exceeds
one metre
Black and brown spots on body
Head length id shorter than the
length between dorsal fin and
anus
Vertebrae are 100-110 in number
Normally more than one metre

The Japanese differentiate eels according to size, body colour, cultural practices,
catching methods and market value.

Out of the 19 species of eels, 17 are found in the Pacific and Indian Ocean. Indian
Ocean alone has six species which is an indication of the tremendous possibility of the eel
culture in India.

Eels are densely distributed in the tropical zones near the equatorial belt In the Pacific,
seventy per cent of the eels are found in the equatorial belt.
III. Life Cycle of Eel

Eel breed generally in the lower layers of sea water at a medium temperature (16-17C)
and in salinity of 35 percent. These two conditions are considered to be the best to the parent
eels to spawn and for the eggs to hatch. The spawning starts from spring to middle of summer.
A full grown female eel can lay 70,00,000 -1,30,00,000 planktonic eggs at a time.

Each egg measure about 1.00 mm in diameter. The eggs hatch within 10 days of
spawning giving rise to larvae of about 6.00 millimetres. They are hatched at the depth of about
400-500 metres which seems to be their spawning area. In the early stage of the eels they are
leptocephalous (transparent, colourless and flattened head and body) in nature. When they are
about 7-15 mm in size they begin to rise up to the level of 100-300 mts. depth of sea water and
as they continue to grow more they become round bodied, less transparent and ascend to the
depth of 30 metres.

During the day time they remain deeper in waters and at night they come up to the
surface to feed. In this way they move up and down during day and night till they come closer to
the shore. As they approach the in-shore they undergo metamorphosis in a short time into
elvers (small migrating eels) and they proceed in the river and hide themselves among the;
pebbles, algae, twigs or burry themselves in the mud till the temperature of the river water
become at least 8-100 centigrade. In other words they await the proper conditions to enter the
river. They have a tremendous ability to sense fresh water from a great distance (about 16 km)
and they keep moving towards it;

Till this period the alimentary canal of eels would be full of detritus (very small sand
particles). After migrating to the river they begin to feed on small living organisms and the body
becomes more short, round and pigmented. The dorsal surface of the body become more dark
in colour. As they grow bigger they migrate to the upper layers of the sea water.
 Alter they have grown almost to the full size they migrate to the rivers. The European
eels reach the shore and enter the rivers about three years after hatching while the Japanese
eels reach the shore and start entering the rivers within one year of hatching. Before they enter
the rivers their shape changes from a flat body to a cylindrical body and in this process the
length decreases. This is due to dehydration of the body. The intestine shortens and the
denticles are replaced by permanent teeth. After this metamorphosis in the temperate regions
they lie burried at the bottom of the sea and wait till the river water becomes warm. Eels mostly
enter the river during the night time; maximum entry is observed within few hours after sun set.

When they enter the river they face all kinds of hurdles and threat from predators. As
they move up in the river they I feed on prawns, crabs, fish, etc. They have remarkable stamina
and endurance that they can climb even steep water falls and reach their destination some
where in the upstream. After that they locate themselves in the mud or among pebbles or in the
crevices of rocks during the day time and during night time they feed on all kinds of aquatic
insects, fishes, shell fishes, worms, snails etc. However, the feeding intensity decreases
considerably when the temperature falls below 15C and stops completely at 100 centigrade. At
the same time the appetite is lost if the temperature reach at or above 280 centigrade. In winter
they do not feed but hibernate mostly under the mud or sometimes they migrate to the warm
water where they can continue feeding.

The males mature in 3-4 years and the females mature a year later. The mature eels
become darker in colour during September, and October and the flanks become pale In colour
with metallic yellow luster. The ventral side is light orange and the base of the pectoral fins is
golden yellow. After acquiring this body colour they migrate to $e sea to breed and spawn again
but never return again to the rivers. It is believed that the eels die after breeding and spawning
and only the young ones migrate to the sea shores and rivers. However, there are indications
that the fresh water eels breed in the rivers and lakes and hence it is not true that eels breed
only in the sea. Much research still need to be done and at present nothing can be said
conclusively about breeding and spawning etc.

Eels are highly nocturnal in habits both in the sea as well as in the river. Experiments
have shown that they avoid light completely and strong light has adverse effort on them.

The main factors affecting the entry of the elvers into the rivers are water temperature,
tides, time of full tide, time of sunset, maximum tidal level, atmospheric temperature, humidity,
pressure, rain, wind velocity and direction. The minimum water temperature required for active
entry of elvers into rivers is 6-11C though the European eels are active even between 2-10"C
temperature range. The entry of elvers begins with the rising tide and gradually reaches its
maximum at full tide and along with the ebb tide the entry numbers decreases. The entry is
limited to two or three hours before or after sunset when the full tide continues. The entry is
facilitated by a moderate wind in the direction of the river though very strong wind is observed to
have only adverse effect.

Based on the head size there are mainly two types of eels: the broad headed and the
narrow headed. The meat of the narrow headed is tastier than the broad headed but the fat
content of the narrow headed is about 27% while that of the broad headed is 12% only. The
heart is heavier in the case of the broad headed eel; in other words the broad headed eels are
very active and grows very fast. The broad headed eels are carnivorous and lives in shallow
water while the narrow headed eels are oligophagous (eating only a few items) and live in deep
waters.
IV. Pond Construction

For the eel culture various types of ponds such as breeding ponds, spawning ponds, eel
fry and fingerling ponds, rearing ponds and stocking ponds are used depending on the need of
the eel-farmer. The need for such variety of ponds also depends on the extent of the eel culture
in a breeding farm. Breeding, spawning, try and fingerling ponds are necessary; but elvers
(small migrating eels) are caught from the rivers as they migrate from the sea for rearing and
stocking till marketing only the rearing and stocking ponds are required. Still much work need to
be done to standardise the breeding and rearing of the eels. Eel breeding and culture are much
developed in Japan and in China. However, such technologies are still not available to common
people.

The breeding techniques of eels are still to be adopted and developed in our country.
For the information of the reader some basic ideas of the pond requirements for various eel
culture purposes are given here. However, the reader if he wants to go for eel culture will have
to experiment and acquire knowledge for himself.

The construction of the pond begins after selecting the site. The site may usually be a
swampy area, agricultural field or abandoned salt pan area. The selected area is checked for
the needed facilities and conveniences such as road, transport, electricity and communication
facilities. The rest of the facilities are secondary.

The pond can be of any shape though usually it is rectangular or square and the size
and number of the ponds to be maintained depends upon the amount of water available,
particularly underground water. It also would depend on whether seed production is to be
carried out simultaneously or not. If there is abundance of water the production ponds can be
bigger but again depends on the availability of the land.

However, very large ponds are difficult to manage and too small ponds are not fit for the
eel culture. The size of the ponds vary from 170 to 3300 square metre with a depth of 45 to cm
for a general purpose eel pond. Specific dimensions of the various types of ponds on a very
broad estimate basis is shown in table 2.

Table 2: Dimensions of the various kinds of ponds for different purposes

Sl. Type of pond Estimated Dimensions (3) area (metres)

No and culture
(sq m)
Length Width Depth
1 Breeding pond 4 to 10 2x2 5x2 0.4-0.6
2 Spawning pond
3 Fry raising pond
4 Fingerling pond 10 to 20 5x2 10 x 2 0.6-0.75
5 Rearing pond 100 to 300 20 x 5 50 x 6 0.75-1.0
6 Stocking pond 1000 to 100 x 10 150 x 10 1-1.20
1500

Please Note: (1) Various eel cultures mentioned can be carried out in six different ponds
or in two or three ponds; (2) the area is estimated based on the requirements of various
functions performed in the various types of eel and fish culture; (3) the length and width of the
pond can be adapted to the size of the land available, however in deciding the length and width
the principle of having more length and less or narrow width should be kept in mind. For eel
culture long and narrow ponds are better.

There is a close relationship between the size, of the ponds and the production per unit
area. As the size of the pond increases the eel production tend to reduce though no specific
reason could be identified. The possible reason could be that the eel tend to swim around and in
this action a lot of body energy is wasted which otherwise could have been accumulated as
flesh in the eel body.

However, there are some disadvantages also in maintaining too many small ponds. First
of all the cost of construction of small ponds will be comparatively high compared to the large
one. Secondly preventive practice of disease control will be more difficult in small ponds as
each pond will have to be treated for the prevention of diseases. However, the only advantage
is diseases affected in a particular pond can be arrested to that pond only and eels in the other
ponds can be protected by taking immediate measures. The eels mostly re- main and feed
themselves near the sides of the pond. Close to the sides of the pond there is always some
shade and vegetation in which they can hide themselves. The density of eels at the sides within
one metre distance is maximum in any pond. Beyond 4-5 metre distance the eels move about
rarely. Therefore more area on the sides of the pond is better for the eels for getting higher
production.

It is necessary that before constructing the pond one should make a plan, blue print of
the layout of the ponds on the given land. He also should check the flow of water from. the
source to each pond and the drainage line from each pond. The inflow and outflow should be
properly laid out. Similarly the roads and paths needed in the eel culture area between the
ponds, from the farm house and water source to each pond and other structures should properly
be laid out so that movement of people and the materials can be easily done.

If breeding is done then the ponds for spawning hatching and fingerlings rearing and
transferring of them to the production pond feeding, disease control and other management
activities could be done easily. In bigger eel culture firms, feed storage equipment store, eel
holding are at sale counter etc. should be planned and fitted into the plan. Similarly water
stirring facilities if needed should also be thought of at the time of planning of the eel firm. In
most of the cases when we go for intensive culture of eels, few water stirrers for oxygenating
the water should be fitted in each pond.

In a given eel pond the side and the shaded area can be increased by building several
walls along the length on both the sides originating from alternative points and stopping at the
three-fourth width of the ponds. Feeding can be done from the sides of the pond as well as
walking on these cross walls. The eels will move in a zig-zag way if they want to move along the
whole length of the pond. For the eel culture it is better to build the side walls vertically up with
bricks or stones.

The pond should have a gentle slope from the inlet side to the outlet side not only for the
easy and effective drainage but also for the circulation of oxygenated water. If the depth of the
pond at the inlet side is made equal to or slightly lower than the supplementary depth and by
maintaining the slope the outlet side will be more than the supplementary depth. This will ensure
the proper circulation of the oxygenated water in the eel ponds. It is also advisable to give the
outlet from the bottom of the pond rather than from the top of the pond in order to facilitate the
circulation of fresh water.

The height of the pond walls or bunds around the pond should be built up to a minimum
of 50 cm height above the water level in order to prevent the eels from jumping out. Eels cannot
jump over a height that is more than one-third of their body length. The embankments are made
broad enough at the top so that easy movement of people and things is possible. The earth
required for this is excavated from the pond. The wall of the pond are made vertically up with
concrete, stones, .bricks or wood depending on the availability of those material and also their
cost.

The sluice gates at the inlet and outlet should be made strong with cement or concrete,
and should be big enough that they should allow quick filling and draining of the pond and fitted
with wire mesh in order to prevent the eels escaping from the pond. It is also advisable to
maintain a head (height) between the surface of the water in the pond and the inlet; in other
words allow the water to flow down through some pebbled surface or passage into the pond so
that the water get oxygenated better. For the same reason we can also allow the water to fall
into the pond in the form of a fountain at the inlet side.

While providing infrastructural facilities in the pond, planning for giving feed in a proper
way should also be thought off. The feeding arrangements could be in the form of slopping wall,
curved side wall with much less slope towards the bottom of the pond, steps built into the pond,
or a covered platform type of area with feeding holes over the surface of the pond water, a
shelter built over some part of the area with or without narrow platforms projecting into the pond
at suit- able intervals etc. Whatever be the structure constructed for the feeding of the eels the
following things should be kept in mind.

1. The feeding area should be free from light; it should be maintained dark or semi-dark,
2. The feeding area should be equidistant from the inlet and outlet.
3. The pond bottom at the feeding area should be bedded with pebbles and sand and less of
clay or mud in order to avoid the water becoming muddy due to the vigorous movements of the
eels during feeding.

Feed storages are part of the eel pond complex. The storing place for the feed may be
three types: (i) part of staff living quarters; (ii) part of the guard room for watch and ward and (iii)
a room exclusively for the purpose.

The surroundings of the eel pond can be thickly planted with trees which will shade the
pond and also after few years they will be real assets to the owner of the fish firm.

V. Feeding of Eels

Eels are mostly carnivores and hence the feed consists of mostly animal products or
byproducts. It consists of mainly fish meal, prawn meal, shell fish meal, worm meal, silk worm
pupae meal, meat meal, crab meal, frog meal, insect meal, blood meal etc. The ideal is to feed
scrub fish (fishes that are not consumed by human beings or very cheap types of fishes like raw
sardines and mackerels). Of course now-a-days feeding raw fish is not at all feasible due to high
cost of feeding.

Oil cakes like groundnut oil cake, coconut oil cake, soybean oil cake etc. can be mixed
with the above mentioned feed up to 15-30 % of the feed lot. Such feeds can be dried and
preserved when they are abundantly available. Cooking the dry and fresh feed enhances
digestibility and palatability and improves over all feed conversion ratio.

About 6-10 kg feed is required to produce one kg meat of eel. The daily amount of feed
provided is calculated on the basis of the total of eels being reared.

Every day the amount of feed to be provided comes about 12-15 % of the total body
weight of the eels present in the pond. For this one should have a record of the number of eels
placed at the beginning of the growing season. After wards keep a record of the mortality by
counting the number of eels that are found dead. To estimate the weight of the eels in the pond,
sampling is done by netting a few at random and weigh them to determine the average weight.
By multiplying. the average weight with the number of the eels in the pond we can get the total
amount of the live weight in the pond and everyday give them feed equivalent to 12 to 15 % of
the live weight. At very young stage the feed given will be more (15% of the live wt) and as they
grow up the amount of feed will be reduced gradually reaching up to 5-6% of their body weight.

Sampling for weight determination may be done once in every two weeks and the
amount of feed given should be revised after every two weeks according to the weight gained.

Random sampling can be done by netting out 5- 10% of the total number of eels in the
pond. Weigh them and find out the average weight. Multiplying the average weight with the
number of eels in the pond gives the estimate of the total live weight of the eels in the pond.

Any change in the type of feed given should be gradual within the period of 7 to 10 days
by decreasing the old feed and increasing the new feed within the daily quantity of feed.

For better results graded rearing could be practiced as described here. The eels should
be watched for their growth rates. One can notice that some of them grow faster while others
are slow and some are medium in growth rate. Group them into eels of more or less same size
in different ponds or in different sections made by partitioning the same pond. Feed them
according to their rate of growth. While separating for graded rearing the difference between the
individuals in the same group should be minimal. If the difference is great the bigger ones will
dominate the small ones at the time of feeding resulting in less availability of feed to the smaller
ones. For this we can have more groups than the usual three groups i.e. big, medium and small.

The rearer should keep in mind that there exists a strong tendency of cannibalism
among the eels. This an added reason for recommending graded rearing of eels.

Care should be taken that the residual feeds should not settle down at the bottom of the
pond and create pollution in the pond. If the growth of the phytoplankton is more there can be
shortage of oxygen at night and excess of the same during the day time. Therefore, the growth
of the phytoplanktons should be controlled to strike a balance between the excess and
deficiency of the oxygen.

During winter when the temperature goes below 15C, there will be less intake by eels.
As the temperature goes down the feed intake decreases steadily and by 8oC they begin to
hibernate. If the eels are grown to market size they can be caught and sold. But the breeding
stock will have to be kept.

During the hibernation feeding is stopped and the ponds are cleaned. At the time of
cleaning the eels are transferred to a basket full of straw or leaves. Make some arrangements to
allow the water dripping on to the leaves and eels in the basket in order supply oxygen to them.
After the cleaning they are placed back into the pond. It is better to clean the pond towards the
beginning of the spring so that after placing the eels back into the pond feeding can be started.

Under the ideal conditions of habitat and feeding eels can grow maximum to the size of
10-15 kg within four to five years. When they are reaching the full size their feed intake is
drastically reduced. From the economic point of view feeding eels beyond 1-2 kg size may not
be advisable: It is better to harvest them and the feed that would have been given to them could
be given to the young ones for higher rate of growth.

VI. Breeding of Eels

Unfortunately no information is available regarding the breeding of the eels. From

ancient times it has been the experience of the people to see the mature eels migrating from the
rivers to the deeper ocean for breeding at the beginning of summer and never returning to the
river again; but a new batch of young ones migrating to the mouth of the rivers. It is believed
that the eels after breeding and producing the young ones die in the ocean and hence do not
return to the river. A female eel which is usually double the size than the male produces millions
of eggs at a time.

Since no information is yet available about the artificial breeding of the eels one has to
depend on the elvers/eels migrating to the river for the supply of young eels. Interested readers
can opt to do farm level research in breeding of eels.

VII. Diseases and Pests

Eels are affected by a number diseases and pests. Most of them are common with other
aquatic animals and fishes. The diseases are caused by bacteria, fungus, protozoa, sporozoa
and virus. The pests could be micro or macro parasites, aquatic or terrestrial animals and birds.
Some of the most important diseases and pests are briefly described here for the benefit of the
reader. The others have to be dealt with as and when the incidence occur.

A. Diseases
A number of diseases have been identified which are affecting the eel. Some of the most
important diseases are described here.

1. Redfin disease
It is one of the major bacterial diseases caused by two types of bacteria: Aeromonas
punctata and Paracolobactrum anguillimortiferum. They affect the intestine, liver, spleen and
sometimes kidneys. These organs show swelling. The infected eels develop red spots on the
fins and skin. They also develop inflammation and ulceration on the trunk. Normally due to the
slimy thick mucous secretion on the body the eels are rarely infected by bacteria. Infection
occurs mostly through the mouth and fins already damaged by the anchor worms.

The affected eels lose appetite and become weak. Sometimes they swim around widely
and at other times they are without any vitality. Poor feeding, turning of the head towards the
surface of the water or vertical posture with the tail coiled are some of the symptoms to
recognize the incidence of .this disease. At the advanced stage the body colour becomes pale
and the heart functions poorly. Ultimately it leads to mortality though some eels recover
themselves. This disease also can affect other breeds of fishes in the pond.
 Net out those affected eels showing symptoms of the disease into a tub or a small tank
where they are sorted out. Those which are not severely affected can be marketed because this
disease is not infectious to human beings. Those they are very badly affected should be
disposed safely by burying or burning. Emptying the pond once a year and disinfecting the pond
completely is one of best ways of controlling the disease.

Treating the infected ones with antibiotics is the only curative measure available at
present. Injecting sulfadiazine at the rate of 7 mg per day per 100 g of body weight is found to
be effective. In the case of severe infection the sulfadiazine should be administered for several
days at the rate of 100-150 mg per day per 100 g body weight.

2. Water fungus infection

In this disease, colonies of organisms form into small cotton tuft growths like on the head
or tail region or on the back. The infected eels do not feed. It spreads usually between March
and early June when the water temperature is high and soon it become epidemic within a short
period. The infected part of the eels show rupture of the skin and along with the formation
mycelium, blood becomes congested in the subcutaneous muscles. The fungus gradually
penetrates the skin and goes deeper into the muscles causing disintegration and exposing the
bones. Sometimes the eyes become white and the eels lose the sight.

Treatment with 0.1 ppm malachite green is found to be fairly effective. The mould can be
destroyed in about 180 -220 minutes at 0.2 ppm and at a concentration of 2.5 ppm the spores
can be killed in 50 minutes and at two ppm in 70 minutes. If the concentration of the chemical is
more it can have a negative effect on young ones. As preventive measure the seed fish should
be disinfected by malachite green solution before stocking in culture ponds. Emptying the pond
and disinfecting it every year is another effective preventive method for controlling this fungal
disease.

3. Gas embolism
There is gas bubble formation on the skin especially at the head region of eels below 6
cm length. Due to this the eels feel buoyancy and are forced to remain at the surface of the
water. They become weak and die. Excess of oxygen and nitrogen in water is said to be the
cause for this disease. The excess of oxygen is mainly due to the various water plants growing
in the pond. During their photosynthetic activities a lot of oxygen is released into the water. The
excess nitrogen is usually found in the underground water. Under this circumstances check the
nitrogen content of the water before it is being used in the pond.

4. Skin parasites
Parasites such as Myxidium anguillae, M. matsui, Lentospore detmatobia and L.
anguillae cause skin infection resulting in minute, circular white spots. The affected eels stop
taking feed and become weak. The treatment for this disease is application of malachite green
and depterex emulsion.

5. Sporozoan disease
In this, the elvers/eels become thin and the vertebral column is easily visible; the body
becomes black and pigmentation disappears in several spots ending in ulceration in some
places. The eels swim vertically up and down in the pond and the disease becomes epidemic
very fast. Sampling and checking for the infection at the: time of introducing the seed fish can
control the disease to some extent.
6. Other diseases
Swollen kidney, gastric diseases, bone detect, parasitation by protozoa are the other
disease affecting the eels.

B. Pests
Various important pests of eel fish are described here.

1. Anchor worms
This parasite which has a head in the form of an anchor and hence the name anchor
worm. These worms stick to the body of the eel by means of an adhesive apparatus situated in
the head region. Anchor worms pass through a number of It stages in their life such as egg,
larvae, nauplius, metanauplius, copepodite 1,2,3,4 and 5 stages (cope= handle; podite= legged;
copepodite= hand like legs). They thrive at a temperature range of 14-32 C and in less than 3%
salinity. But they are highly sensitive to light. The worms infest the eels and cause loss of
appetite becomes weak and die or the production is seriously affected.

The worms can be controlled by treating with water (sea water) having salinity about six
per cent or, by the application of bleaching powder, by drugs like depterex and by resorting to
preventive measures.

The salinity treatment can be done individually if the number of eels reared are
manageable or in group in a pond if the number is large. In the first case six per cent saline
water is prepared in a tub and the eels are kept inside for a few days and in the second case the
whole pond water has to be made six per cent saline for few days or allow the sea water to
come into the pond and replace the fresh pond water.

Bleaching powder at the rate of one ppm (parts per million by weight in water) is used for
treating the anchor worm for three days. However eels and other fishes will be affected (the
concentration of the bleaching powder exceeds six ppm, hence greater care should be taken
not to exceed the concentration. Bleaching powder is dissolved in water at the rate of one ppm
and the eels are treated in a tub for a small number of eels and in a fish pond if the number is
big. Another way of using the bleaching powder is to spray required amount of it for three
consecutive nights when the larvae come up to the surface of the pond water (the
photosensitive larvae hide themselves during day time and come up to the surface during the
night time).

Use of depterex which is an agricultural drug is used at the rate of 0.2 ppm for two days
or at the rate of 0.5 ppm for a day is an effective measure to control the anchor worms.

The most common preventive measures include avoiding water that carries the larvae of
anchor worms and also checking the presence of parasites in the seed fish by treating them
with sea water or water with 6% salinity. Spraying depterex when the temperature rises above
14C is another effective preventive measure against anchor worms.

2. Birds
Since eel culture farms are situated near the seacoast, a number of birds are attracted to
the place and prey upon the eels. However, this may not be a problem in all the places.

The most common birds that prey upon eels are: sea swallow, sea gull, haron, kite, king
fisher, owel, ducks etc. Appropriate, suitable and locally available measures like bird scaring
and warding off methods should be adopted to protect the eels from the birds.
VIII. Management and Culture Techniques

As far as possible thorough planning should be done before one starts the eel culture.
First of pil he should gain: enough knowledge about the various aspects of eel culture;

1 think about them, discuss with people the points that are for and against in going for eel
culture and finally, when they are convinced with the economic and technical feasibility of eel
culture, the decision for eel rearing should be taken. Planning should be done in writing as a
document.

As a next step he should make a good plan of the infrastructural facilities for eel culture.
Plan out every detail about the size, shape, length, width, height, type and structure of the pond
and other necessary facilities. Prepare a blue print.

Along with these prepare a chronological action plan in detail of what to do and how to
do and when to do about the various cultural practices. Check this action with a number of
experts and experienced people; incorporate their suggestions; make modifications; check the
over all economic and technical feasibility of the project.

Foresee all possible problems, objections and possibilities of failures and propose a
number of solutions as option for every foreseeable problem.

The whole project is finalized by the owner cum executor, only if he is convinced of it.
Never go for it unless one is thoroughly convinced off and sure of it at least by 60 to 80 per cent.

Set up all the intrastructural facilities needed for the eel culture. All the permanent
structures should be constructed properly and strongly especially the cement and brick
constructions. Special attention should be paid to the curing of the cement constructions; (for
the proper setting of the cement constructions watering/wetting for 28 days is recommended).
Check all the infrastructural settings (fill the tank to check the leak etc.) before introducing the
eels.

Before introducing the eels into whichever type of culture the pond should be emptied
and disinfected. It should be left dry and exposed to sun for some days before it is filled with
water to begin the eel culture. Apply lime (Calcium carbonate) in the pond at a rate ranging from
one kilogram per 5 to 25 sq m of the pond area. The quality of the water should be checked
before the water is introduced into the pond. The water should be saline like the sea water for
breeding and spawning of the eels. The salinity is reduced further to normality as the culture
moves from spawning to fingerlings. In the rearing and stocking ponds the water should be
absolutely normal and clean. The water also if possible should be checked for diseases and
pest organisms.

The seed fish in the form of elvers are caught from eels migrating into the river from the
sea. Handling them properly at the time of catching is very important. Care should be taken that
they do not get injured in the process. Also preserve them in baskets with leaves or straw or
grasses which are kept wet by drops of dripping water from a few pieces of wet clothes hanging
out. of a vessel with water and hung or placed above the basket. The eels under this condition
survives better than being kept in a tub with water. Eels are affected adversely by the low
temperature and hence for their survival and better health, maintain them at above 10-15 C
temperature. If the eels or elvers are handled properly they can be kept alive without teed up to
150 days.

Introduce the eels in to the pond in the late evenings and teed them well. The broad
recommendation for the stocking rate of eel is about 0.5-1.00 kg per square metre. In other
words bigger the size of the eels (by weight) lesser will be the number of eels placed in a given
area. However the amount of feed available also determines the number and weight of eels
placed in the pond. If feed is less the number and weight of the eels placed in the pond will be
even lesser than the average recommendation; if more feed is available we can rear more eels
than the recommended per unit area.

Proper feeding is the key to success. Once the ponds are set and the eels are placed in
the pond, feed them generously. Supply the feed regularly at a point where the eels can collect
themselves. At the feeding point fix a 60 watt bulb between sunset to about 9.00 pm in the night.
Keep the feed on a big platform like tray which can be lowered into the water and lifted by
means of a pulley and rope with balancing weight. The platform should be big enough for all the
eels to feed at the same time.

Fishing is best done by net with small mesh. The size of the net may be 4-8 metres in
length though the size of the net actually depends on the size of the pond. By draining out the
water from the pond also we can catch the eels.

Eels can be kept alive for a long time without feed by keeping in a basket with wet grass,
leaves or straw till a good market comes up.

IX. Methods of Eel Rearing

The eels can be reared in different methods such as rearing in running water, sea water,
in enclosed nets, in estuaries, in pipes ending with tanks, in long tanks with arched roof, in rivers
and streams, in septic tanks, etc. Some of them are briefly explained here. In all the methods
create, dark conditions for the eels because they are very sensitive to the light. Secondly proper
feeding should be ensured. Thirdly, maintain proper sanitation and adopt preventive measures
against all types of possible diseases.

1. Running water
A pond is constructed in the course of a stream or spring which has continuous water
flow. Water flows continuously in and out of the pond. In order to prevent the eels escaping at
the inlet as well as at the outlet wire mesh is fixed. The growth rate of eels in the running water
is much higher than that of in the stagnant water. Depending on the availability of water and the
land one can have a number of ponds build in series or parallel. In the series layout of ponds,
water is let in the upper most pond flows from one pond to the other and from the last pond the
water is drained out. Whereas in parallel arrangement water flow through a side channel parallel
to all the ponds and from this channel water flows into each pond. Similarly a drainage channel
runs parallel to all the ponds on the other side and water from all the ponds drains out into this
drain. Parallel system of layout of the ponds is better than the series system.

2. Sea water
Ponds are made close to the sea and facilities are provided to let in sea water into the
pond during the high tide or by pumping in to the pond. The inlet and outlets are secured with a
wire mesh to prevent the eels escaping. Depending on the availability of land one can have a
number of ponds.
3. Enclosed in net
Suitable nets are fixed in the backwaters, shallow lakes, percolation tanks, sea shores,
etc., like an inverted mosquito net. The size of the net enclosure can be of varying sizes and
shape; but at least it should have the size of 3x2xl.5 metres. It is fixed in position by means of
poles or floats. The durability of the net depends on the material used. It is needless to say that
the strong materials which can withstand the corrosion should be used for netting. In the netting
system you have a better control of the situation though it is very capital intensive.

4. Stocking in estuaries
This method is possible only to people who have accessibility to the estuaries. The
underlying fact is that eels in general collect themselves at the estuaries much more than any
other place and by this method we are trying to capitalize this condition. However, stocking in
estuaries has the least protection and probability for success, because the eels can move out of
the estuaries. Secondly, the estuaries are common properties and anyone can come and catch
the eels.

5. Pipe ending with two small tanks

A large pipe of 5-6 m long and 0.5 to 0.75 m diameter is buried in the soil about 30 to 45
cm below the surface of the land. At both ends tank of about 1.5x1.5 m in area is constructed
with a height of about 1.2 to 1.5 metre. One of the tanks will be the inlet and the other will be the
outlet. Tank water level is maintained about 45 to 50 cm above the pipe line. Feeding is done in
either of the tanks. The pipe line provides the eels the needed dark and comfortable hide out
place. For harvesting the eels use a drum like structure which is close fitting inside the pipe line.
Tie a rope on both ends of the drum pass the rope of one side of the through the pipe line to a
person on the other side of the pipe line. While he pulls the drum the pipe line by the rope, while
another man controls the movement of the drum in such a way that all the eels are force to
come out of the pipe line into the tank towards which the drum is pulled. Holding the drum in
position one can select the eels he wants to harvest and the rest is left for further growth by
withdrawing the drum.

6. Long tanks with arch roof

This is a new system being proposed to people who want to rear eels at the home or
farm at a small scale level. The tank is made of bricks with 1:4 cement and sand mixture well
packed in between to avoid leaks. It is better to fix the maximum width of the tank up to 1.5 to
1.8 metre but the length of the tank depends on the number of eels one wants to rear which
again depends on the amount of feed available and the principle of allotting a minimum of one
square metre space for one kilogram of live eel. Therefore if one has enough feed to give every
day, for feeding 100 Kg eels then the total water area required is 100 sq metre. Fix the inner
width of the tank as 1.5 metre, the length of the tank will be 100/1.5 = 66.6 metre. Out of this
length at both ends an open tank is built. The size of tank may vary from same to double the
width mentioned above. The height of the tank is about 1.2 to 1.5 metre and the space between
roof and tank is same as the height of the tank. Water is allowed to enter into one tank and
drain out from the other tank. The water level is maintained at about 45 to 90 cm so that there
will be some air space inside the roofed area. This will help in the proper aeration of the water.

The whole structure can be built below the ground level, above the ground level or some
where in between these two levels.

7. Releasing eels in rivers and lakes

 Under a community eel culture project we can rear them in a river or a lake. Elvers are
collected from the natural habitat or can be produced at farmers own breeding farm and
released into the river or lake. The stocking density and feeding practices to be adopted should
be same as already explained.

8. Modified septic tank

In several places in the far eastern countries eels are reared in the septic tanks attached
to toilets. The eels are kept in the third section of the septic tank. The third section also can be
modified into a bigger tank which is covered but having an opening at the top for inspection and
feeding. Eels grown thus will also feed on the excreta and the insects and worms that grow in
the septic tank.

If emotional and cultural hurdles can be over come this is feasible method of eel culture.
Under the septic tank conditions normally there is no pathological problems provided people
who use are tree from pathological conditions though it cannot be completely ruled out.

X. Conclusion

Eel culture is one of the aquacultures that has tremendous potential in our country. In
many European countries it is a delicacy and also used in processing industry and raw eels
have great export potential. Though we have a number of indigenous species, eel culture still
has to become popular.

For people having suitable areas eel culture can be a very profitable income generating
programme. Eel culture also can be organized by NGOs as social action programme. Hope this
booklet will provide all the basic information on eel culture to those who are interested in it.

However this booklet does not claim to be complete in its work. Information on various
aspects of the eel culture is not complete and much work still need to be done on the rearing,
feeding breeding and management practices of eel culture.

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