Newcastle to benefit from multi-billion dollar eel industry
The success of a pilot eel farming project in Utrecht will determine if eel farming will be rolled out as a community project in Newcastle.
Newcastle residents may be next to benefit from the multi-billion dollar eel farming industry, following a week-long study undertaken in Taiwan.
Director of Economic Development and Tourism, Ferdie Alberts, was invited by piscicultural business owners of Amajuba Aquaponics for a seven-day visit to Taiwan to investigate the viability of introducing eel farming to the area.
Mr Alberts said that a pilot project was currently being set up in Utrecht, which if successful, will result in eel farming being rolled out as a Newcastle community project.
He regarded the trip to Taiwan as, “very successful,” and said all that is needed before the project can go ahead is for permission to be granted by KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife and the Department of Agriculture for the eels to be imported from Madagascar.
“In Taiwan, we met with various role-players in the industry, including professors that are doing research in eel farming, veterinary professors who are researching eel diseases, and the President of the Eel Association. We found that farming with eels could prove to be a more lucrative business than farming with fish,” said Mr Alberts.
He went on to explain that as a result of contamination following the nuclear explosion in Japan, there has been an increase in demand for eels and a decrease in supply.This has created a business opportunity, which Mr Alberts believes can benefit the residents of Newcastle.
