Japanese Eel

The Japanese eel, Anguilla japonica, is a species of anguillid eel found in Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, and Vietnam as well as the northern Philippines. Like all the eels of the genus Anguilla and the family Anguillidae, it is catadromous, meaning it lives parts of its life in both freshwater and saltwater. The spawning area of this species is in the North Equatorial Current in the western North Pacific to the west of the Mariana Islands. The larvae are called leptocephali and are carried westward by the North Equatorial Current and then northward by the Kuroshio Current to East Asia where they live in rivers, lakes and estuaries. The Japanese eel is an important food fish in East Asia where it is raised in aquaculture ponds in most countries in the region. In Japan, where they are called unagi, it is an important part of the food culture, with many restaurants serving grilled eel, which is called kabayaki. Eels also have uses in Chinese medicine.