Japan and the world’s troubled eels

Japan and the world’s troubled eels
日本乃至世界鳗鱼产业陷入困境
Slip-sliding away
鳗鱼储量一路下滑
A summer mainstay comes under threat
传统夏季美食面临威胁
Aug 11th 2012 | TOKYO | from the print edition
THE heat-induced fatigue that strikes millions during Japan’s high summe r is known as natsu-bate. A popular antidote is grilled eel, drenched in a sweet sauce and often served on a bed of rice. Rich in vitamins, protein and calcium, the restorative powers of the oily treat are eulogised in popular television shows. Yet unfortunately for Japan, the main ingredient is running out.
在日本，伏暑时节由高温引发的疲劳状态被称作“夏日症”（ natsu-bate），数百万人都深受其害。

而浸着甜辣酱的烤鳗鱼是一味广受欢迎的解暑良药。

在日本，鳗鱼一般被做成
鳗鱼盖饭——这道含油丰富的美食富含维生素、蛋白质和钙质，有利于恢复体力，因而备
受电视节目的推崇。

然而不幸的是，日本鳗鱼资源正在枯竭。

Overfishing has wrought havoc with global stocks of eels, prompting America
to recommend that several species of eel be put on an international endangered list. That was front-page news in Japan. Greenpeace listed species of eel as endangered two years ago, joining sharks, bluefin tuna and Atlantic cod.
过度捕捞严重破坏了全球鳗鱼资源，促使美国建议将数个鳗鱼品种列入国际濒危物种名单。

这个消息成了日本报纸的头版新闻。

两年前，绿色和平组织就将鳗鱼与鲨鱼、蓝鳍金枪鱼
及大西洋鳕鱼一起列为濒危物种。

Japan consumes seven-tenths of the global eel catch and is now feeling the heat. Wholesale prices have doubled this year and dozens of eel restaurants across the country have closed. “We can’t pass on that sort of price rise to
our customers, so we’ve been forced to absorb most of it ourselves,” said Danzo Yamamoto, manager of Unatetsu, one of central Tokyo’s best-known
eel restaurants. “But how long can we do that for?”
日本人消费了全球鳗鱼捕捞量的70%，如今该行业正面临压力。

今年日本鳗鱼批发价格已
经比去年上涨了一倍，全国有数十家鳗鱼餐馆倒闭。

Unatetsu餐馆（东京中部最有名的鳗
鱼餐馆之一）的经理Danzo Yamamoto表示，“我们无法将这种价格上涨转嫁给消费者，
只能自己吸收大部分成本压力。

但这又能撑得了多久呢？”
In four decades, stocks of Japanese eels have fallen by nine-tenths. Japanese wholesalers turned first to European eels. But they are now on
the watchlist of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Among other things, the Atlantic eel is highly susceptible to a parasitic nematode introduced when stocks of the Japanese eel were
imported to Europe for aquaculture. Japanese suppliers then shifted to farm-bred eels from China and South Korea. Eel farms, however, still depend on elvers netted from the wild, putting further pressure on populations.
四十年来，日本鳗鱼储量下降了九成。

日本鳗鱼批发商首先选择进口欧洲鳗鱼。

但如今欧
洲鳗鱼已被列入《濒危动植物种国际贸易公约》（即华盛顿公约）的观察名单。

除此之外，在将日本鳗鱼苗输往欧洲养殖的过程，很容易把线虫病传染给大西洋鳗鱼。

日本供货商转
而从中国、韩国进口养殖鳗鱼。

尽管如此，鳗鱼养殖场也是从野生环境捕捞鳗鱼幼苗来进
行养殖，这会对鳗鱼数量进一步构成压力。

Eels spawn only once in a lifetime, in a complex and still little-understood cycle. So until farmers learn how to raise adults from eggs at a commercially reasonable cost, Japan will have to adjust to eating a lot less. Meanwhile, desperate Japanese wholesalers now flock to the Philippines, Indonesia and even Madagascar to keep the nation’s summer tables stocked.
鳗鱼一生只产一次卵，至今，人们对这一复杂的生理周期还知之甚少。

因此，在养殖户掌
握如何在可接受的成本范围内地将鳗鱼从卵培养到成体的技术之前，日本人不得不少吃许
多鳗鱼来适应这些变化。

与此同时，日本批发商正不顾一切的涌向菲律宾、印度尼西亚甚
至是马达加斯加收购鳗鱼，来满足国内的夏季餐桌上的需求。

Suppliers are trying to stay one jump ahead of the endangered listings. The East Asia Eel Resource Consortium, a group of industry and research representatives from Japan, China, South Korea and Taiwan, has called for an Asia-wide system of statistical measurement. But conservationists argue that self-regulation will only push the eel faster towards extinction.
供应商们正尽量抢在鳗鱼被正式列入濒危动物列表之前采取行动。

由来自日本、中国、韩
国和台湾的鳗鱼产业、学术研究代表组成的东亚鳗鱼资源联盟号召在亚洲范围内建立鳗鱼
数量统计测量体系。

但保守人士认为这种自我调节机制只会加速鳗鱼的灭亡进程。

It all sounds familiar. Two years ago the Japanese government helped
torpedo a CITES attempt to ban trade in Atlantic stocks of bluefin tuna, a
sushi mainstay. Japan is also likely to lobby against a trade ban in
eels, arguing instead that industry-led bodies and not conservationists can
best manage sustainable stocks. Perhaps so. But if that assessment is wrong, millions of Japanese may soon have to look elsewhere for their summer culinary boost.
这一切都似曾相识。

两年前，华盛顿公约试图禁止大西洋海域的蓝鳍金枪鱼（制作寿司的主要食材之一）贸易，日本政府采取措施进行阻挠。

如今，日本也很可能展开游说，反对限制鳗鱼贸易，他们认为保守人士的作法也未必能够维持鳗鱼储量的可持续发展。

这也许是事实，但如果这些论断是错误的，（鳗鱼将会很快灭亡）数百万日本人都不得不为他们的夏季餐桌寻找新的食材了。