FATTENED EELS could open doors to exports
BY ANTHEA MCLEARY, AUT UNIVERSITY E
els may be not be part of the staple diet for the ordinary New Zealander but there are growing demands overseas, particularly in Asia and Europe, where eels are
considered a delicacy and a healthy food product. AUT researcher Dr Jorge Hirt-Chabbert is currently
investigating eels for potential export market opportunities which could expand New Zealand's aquaculture sector. The global eel market currently trades around 270,000 tonnes a year and is valued at around US$1.2 billion. Over 97 percent of worldwide eel production is currently based on farming European and Japanese eels. Dr Hirt-Chabbert says there is a renewed interest in
cultivating freshwater eels in New Zealand. A number of research institutes, Maori iwi and the New Zealand seafood industry have started research programmes to develop a cultured eel product. "Even though the global eel industry is strongly dominated
by cultured eels there are no eel farms in New Zealand. The eel business in New Zealand comprises catching shortfi n (Anguilla australis) and longfi n (Anguilla dieffenbachii) eels in the wild and selling them in local and international markets." He says there has been a decline in wild eel stock around the
world and a signifi cant reduction in the supplies of European and Japanese glass eels. This decline has placed a commercial premium on the development of intensive eel culture. New Zealand wild eels are not currently accepted as a quality product on the international eel market. "This is because their body-fat content is generally below 10 percent and not high enough to match the demands of high-value markets accustomed to fatty, cultured eels," he says. "The European eel contains over 20 percent body fat and the Japanese eel between 13 and 20 percent body fat." The main outcomes of her study have been the
development of a New Zealand eel product aligned with international specifi cations for fat content (20-22 percent), with a high proportion of Omega 3 fatty acids. "The body fat content and its fatty acid profi le are among the main factors that defi ne the fl esh texture, fl avour and aroma of any fi sh product. Fatty fi sh give a smooth and succulent
sensation, while less fatty fi sh give a more dry sensation. "The juiciness of the fi sh product depends on the muscle
fat content rather than the moisture content. These qualities determine consumer acceptance of the eels."
Dr Hirt-Chabbert is a post-doctoral fellow of AUT University and the author of a New Zealand fi sh species guide. He is originally from Argentina and has over 18 years of experience as a marine biologist, specialising in conservation, fi sheries, seafood processing and aquaculture.
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NZ AQUACULTURE ■
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