Towards High-Performance American Eel Aquaculture in Quebec: Innovative Rearing Protocols and Development Prospects

Neptune Canada wishes to set up the very first American eel (Anguilla rostrata) grow-out farm in Quebec. The development of eel rearing processes aims to promote a sustainable and environmentally-friendly approach. This includes developing innovative protocols for the initial feeding of glass eels using highly digestible feeds such as hydrolysed proteins, optimizing rearing systems to improve growth, and developing an efficient recirculating effluent treatment process to reduce environmental impacts.

The aim of the project is to determine the specific dietary requirements of glass eels and eels as a function of their life stage, temperature and density. In addition, the project will make it possible to define a first-ever growth curve from glass eel to 350g commercial-sized eel. It is essential to define the physico-chemical parameters of a recirculation, filtration and water treatment system in order to comply with Quebec environmental standards.

Adopting these approaches will encourage more environmentally-friendly aquaculture by minimizing the use of resources and eliminating the impact of fish farm waste.