Vanishing eel revival pushed in Cagayan Valley

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya – A comeback in the population of the vanishing eel in the wild is expected after the government’s fisheries sector has started reviving one of the country’s most delectable fish species along the region’s various freshwater areas.

As start up efforts, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources had recently released thousands of elvers in various rivers, lakes, creeks and other fresh bodies of water in the region where they used to abound some years back.

Among the region’s freshwater areas where the elver stocks had been dispersed includes the Magat and Cagayan Rivers and its various tributaries in the towns of Aritao, Santa Fe, Kayapa and Ambaguio here; Cabatuan, San Mateo, Ramon and Angadanan in Isabela; and Diffun, Cabarroguis, Aglipay and Maddela towns in Quirino.

Around 3,300 eels, called igat or kiwet in the Iluko dialect, were released per town for a total of 39,600 eels released into the wild, said Dr. Jovita Ayson, BFAR director for Cagayan Valley.

Described as one of the country’s most delectable freshwater fish species, the snake-like eel could grow as long as six feet long.

BFAR said its market demand is very high, especially among Chinese and Japanese markets due to what is believed to be its medicinal value, besides its known unique taste.

This, according to BFAR, has also resulted in foreigners buying the more delectable elvers for as high as P10,000 per kilo while big-sized eels would sell for P500-700 a kilo.

“Before fishermen can easily catch eels the size of an arm, but now we can hardly see any except at some selected areas,” said Primitivo Clave, retired BFAR regional director.

With the new eel production program, Dr. Evelyn Ame, head of BFAR’s eel stock enhancement project, said that the fishery sector is optimistic it can revive the region’s once abundant eel population, which has been alarmingly decreasing in number due to illegal fishing activities and pre-mature harvesting.