CATDOLL : CATDOLL: When farming eels in cages, where can we get the eel species and how do we judge their quality?

When farming eels in cages, where can we obtain the eel species and how to judge the quality?

The source of eel species

There are roughly three sources of eel species: artificial breeding and cultivation of eel species, market purchase, and organized human labor to catch natural eel species. Artificial breeding still has some technical problems that have not been completely solved. Some people collect fertilized eggs of yellow eels in the wild and then artificially hatch them into seedlings to solve the problem of supply of some eel species. However, when engaging in yellow eel farming of a certain scale, the source of eel species should be solved from multiple aspects and channels. From the current situation, it is still mainly based on the purchase of naturally caught eel species in the market and the organization of forces to catch natural eels. From the perspective of development, eel farming units of a certain scale should engage in artificial breeding of yellow eels, cultivate eel species by themselves, and form a one-stop production and management system of breeding, cultivation, breeding, and sales.

Identification of eel quality

In practice, the masses have found that there are eels with different skin colors, different spots, and different growth rates. For example, the eel with a yellower body color, larger individuals, and irregular brown-black spots all over the body is a dark yellow large-spotted eel, which the masses call "yellow-spotted eel". This eel has a strong feeding intensity, a more ferocious character, a fast growth rate, and a meat growth ratio of 1:5 to 6. There is a kind of eel with a blue-gray body color, fine spots, smaller individuals, and a slower growth rate. The masses call it "green eel", "numb eel" or "green-spotted eel". There is also a kind of body color and spots between green and yellow eels, especially the yellow-spotted eel with a blue back color and a yellow back. The masses call it "green-yellow-spotted eel". Its growth rate is faster than the so-called "green eel", and it is between the yellow-spotted eel and the blue-spotted eel. There is also a red eel, also called "fire eel", which grows slower. Whether these eels with different skin colors, spots and growth rates are different species or subspecies remains to be studied. But one thing is certain: they are gradually formed through the alternation of generations in different ecological environments. Therefore, it is very likely that there are different strains of individuals in the same species. In artificial breeding, the fast-growing yellow-spotted eels and green-yellow-spotted eels should be selected as the main species.

Choose eels that are healthy and disease-free. Since the current technology for artificially breeding eel fry is still quite difficult, artificial breeding is still mainly based on the purchase and capture of natural eels. So, there are many ways to catch eels, such as electric fishing, drug fishing, fishing, cage fishing and hand fishing. Artificially bred eels require eels caught by cage fishing, hand fishing and other methods. This kind of eel is less likely to be injured, unlike the eels caught by fishing, whose throat or mouth is damaged by fishing gear such as iron hooks. Eels caught by drugs and electric fishing have gray and red body color, many small red spots and bleeding spots on the abdomen, and mixed sizes, which is the result of sweeping killing.

Points to note when collecting eels

Eels should be placed in a medium-sized basin. Healthy eels swim fast, struggle violently when caught by hand, and have no injuries or diseases on their bodies. If the basin is small and the density of eels in the basin is high, healthy eels will quickly raise their heads, while weak eels, injured eels, or sick eels will react slowly in the basin, raise their heads slowly and weakly, or not raise their heads at all. Another type of eel has a large head, a thin neck, and a thin body, and appears to be weak all over. This may be an eel with a disease. Some eels have a white tail or a mass ulcer above the anus, or white-haired Saprolegniasis on their bodies, and little or no mucus on their bodies. These are also diseased eels. When choosing, you must resolutely eliminate them.

This needs to be purchased through the market, and then you can look at the skin color spots and growth rate to judge the quality.

You can judge by knowledge on the Internet, with the help of professionals, or by some people who raise eels, by color, or by the thickness of the body.

Eel seedlings are generally obtained nearby. It is better to use ecologically bred eel seedlings. You can also purchase wild eels that have just been caught in cages. They must be disease-free and uninjured, and of uniform size. Eels caught with drugs, electric shock, or hooks cannot be used as a source of seedlings.

Can bleach be used to disinfect eels in cages?

Bleaching powder disinfection mainly depends on the chlorine it contains, which is toxic to eels. It can be used to disinfect net cages before breeding, but it cannot be used after breeding. Low-concentration lime water can be used for disinfection.