Product Summary (Registration No.177)

Registration No.177 浜名湖うなぎ

Registered name (Transcription) : 浜名湖うなぎ（Lake Hamanako Unagi）, Lake Hamanako Japanese Eel
Reference information : Lake Hamanako Japanese Eel

Category of product

Class 4 : Fishery product（Japanese Eel)

Production Area

Hamamatsu City and Kosai City, Shizuoka Prefecture

Registered Group

Lake Hamanako Aquaculture Fisheries Cooperative

Characteristics

Lake Hamanako Unagi is valued for its high fat content and tender, plump texture, among other qualities. It commands higher prices than ordinary eel and is widely known throughout Japan, to the extent that Lake Hamanako is synonymous with eel. It is also popular among tourists. The area was among the first in Japan to develop as a center of eel farming, and a distinctive food culture has taken root, as exemplified by bokumeshi, originally a staff meal for eel farmers that evolved into a local dish. Lake Hamanako Unagi plays an important role in a wide range of areas, including history, culture, the economy, and tourism.

Link with the Production Area

The production area offers a natural environment ideally suited to eel farming. Glass eels were abundant around Lake Hamanako, which has brackish waters, and the area has a mild climate with high water temperatures, as well as access to groundwater and other water sources with stable water quality. The area succeeded in farming eels between 1897 and 1906. In 1971, it established a heated-water eel-farming method, which resulted in faster growth and a reduction in disease incidence. The area developed into a major center of eel farming and is recognized as the “birthplace of eel farming.”