Unagi or eel is one of the most sought-after delicacies in Japanese restaurants around the world. Currently, around 80% of the world's consumption of eel comes from cultivation, but the seedlings still come from natural catches such as those procured by Sukabumi fishers. Eel seedlings from Sukabumi sustain local aquaculture businesses, and eel cultivation businesses throughout Indonesia.

Unfortunately, until now the survival rate of the seedling—the glass eel—is very low, so that its commercial use may hamper the stability of the eel population in nature. Similar conditions have occurred in Japan and Europe, resulting in inclusion of several eel species into the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) endangered category.

Improving the survival rate of eels in the critical phase of glass eel to elver is part of the collaboration between FAO, MMAF, and the Sukabumi District Government through the IFish project. The project, which received financial support from the Global Environment Fund (GEF), made the Tonjong Fish Seedling Center (Balai Benih Ikan/BBI) in Sukabumi as the demonstration site for glass eel cultivation.

On Thursday (16/12) the Head of Sukabumi District, the Head of the Center of Fisheries Research, and the National Project Manager of the FAO-IFish Project visited BBI Tonjong, to review the results of the first cycle of the eel cultivation. The demonstration succeeded in increasing the survival rate of glass eel to the elver stage up to 60%. The visit also marked the start of the second cycle of demonstration activities.

"It is hoped that the results of the demonstration activity at BBI Tonjong will provide useful information in increasing the survival rate of eels from glass eel to elver stage. With higher survival rate, less seedlings need to be taken from nature, so eventually it can reduce pressure on the wild eel population," said Yayan Hikmayani, Head of the Center of Fisheries Research, Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries.

The FAO IFish project collaboration with the Sukabumi District Government has been ongoing since 2018. The focus of this collaboration is the mainstreaming of inland aquatic biodiversity conservation principles into policy, through demonstration activities and sustainable use, especially for eel species (Anguilla sp). These efforts are important to promote inland fisheries sector contributions to the fulfillment of nutrition and welfare of rural communities.

"Pelabuhan Ratu is one of the vital waterways for the eel life-cycle in southern Java. Blessed with the abundance of seedlings, Sukabumi District will develop a long-term program for the utilization and management of eel fisheries, to cement the district position as the leader of eel cultivation in Indonesia. One of the important locations for eel fisheries in Sukabumi is BBI Tonjong, as a center for rearing glass eel to elver”, as stated by Marwan Hamami, Head of Sukabumi District.

FAO IFish project facilitated a number of collaborative steps for sustainable eel fisheries in Sukabumi, that include comparative studies in Cilacap District, training of trainers for monitoring eel seed resources, the establishment of an Integrated Inland Water Management working group in Sukabumi District, as well as the formation of a community monitoring group involving fishermen, eel collectors, and the fishing community as the spearhead of monitoring fish resources and river ecosystems in Sukabumi District.

On a larger scale, the FAO IFish project works with West Java Provincial Water Resources Service and Charles Sturt University, Australia for the development of fishway on the Caringin Dam in Cibareno River. The fishway will be built to ensure local fish—such as eel or kancra/soro—migration along transverse constructions on the watershed.

"In addition to the demonstration work at BBI Tonjong, the FAO IFish project will continue its collaboration with Sukabumi District in 2022 to formulate a number of strategic policies, such as the regional regulation on Inland Fishery Management and the Master Plan for the Management of Eel Fisheries in Sukabumi District. These two policies are expected to create an integration of inland fisheries governance, as well as a strong synergy among parties in the management and sustainable use of inland aquatic resources and eel fisheries,” explained Sudarsono, National Project Manager of the FAO IFish project.

The project supports MMAF's Kampung Ikan priority program—fish village based on local wisdom—in Sukabumi District. The fish village will be developed as a center of economic growth for rural communities, through sustainable local fish cultivation.