With beloved Japanese eels now an endangered species, the team hopes to unravel the secrets of the other types starting to find favor as substitutes in eateries across the nation.
Currently, scientists know very little about even their most basic habits, such as their breeding grounds and migration routes.
“Some of these eel species are already being utilized commercially,” said Tsuguo Otake, a professor of marine biology at the University of Tokyo. “Collecting ecological data is an urgent matter as we must assess their state of abundance as a resource.”
Otake is part of the study group, made up of researchers from a number of institutions, that made the announcement on July 5.
A popular summer delicacy, Japanese eels have been dwindling in number due to overfishing and the human impact on their natural habitats, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature designated the species as endangered in 2014.
DNA testing has already confirmed the import of some of the seven eel species being targeted in the research project, such as the shortfin eel, according to Katsumi Tsukamoto, a professor of marine biology at Nihon University and part of the team.
To uncover the mystery, the team will get on board the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology’s research ship Hakuho Maru from July 11 and embark on a three-month journey across the South Pacific, collecting specimens in about 240 locations across the ocean.