Dec 15 (euronews) - Eels are a much-loved delicacy in Japan - but the animals are now so endangered that they command eyewatering prices.
Consumed worldwide, eel is particularly popular in Asia - and perhaps nowhere more so than Japan, where remains found in tombs show it has been eaten for thousands of years.
Despite its enduring popularity, much about the eel remains a mystery. Precisely how it reproduces is unclear, and coaxing it to do so in captivity without intervention has proved unsuccessful so far.
Pressures on wild stocks ranging from pollution to overfishing mean supplies have dwindled dramatically in recent decades.
However, the annual catch in Japan of glass eels has fallen to 10 per cent of 1960 levels. That has driven prices sky-high, even in a country that has battled for years to achieve inflation.
