Concept

Concept of the Symposium

Migratory fish often cross national borders, making international collaboration essential for understanding their ecology, resource management, conservation, and monitoring across their entire distribution range. Anguillid eels, known for their catadromous migration, are no exception—they inhabit extensive habitats across multiple countries. Asia, in particular, is a key region for eel research due to its exceptional species diversity, including both temperate and tropical eel species such as Japanese eels and Indo-Pacific eels. Despite this importance, there is still a lack of sufficient collaboration and exchange of knowledge and personnel among researchers across the region.

The 1st Asian International Eel Symposium aims to promote information exchange and international networking among eel researchers across Asian region. This symposium will feature diverse research topics covering all eel species, including tropical ones. In the future, we aim to broaden the scope beyond eels to all migratory fish by evolving this event into the International Migratory Fish Symposium, fostering progress in migratory fish research and contributing to resource conservation across a wide range of regions, from tropical to subarctic zones. Primarily organized by early-career researchers, the symposium also serves as a platform to foster the next generation of scientists who will play active roles on the international stage, encouraging fresh perspectives and long-lasting international partnerships.

In addition to academic presentations, the symposium places strong emphasis on field excursions. The event will be held on Amami Oshima Island, a subtropical region surrounded by mountains and the sea, and located near the northern limit of the distribution range of Indo-Pacific eels. Through excursions to river ecosystems, participants will have the opportunity to experience this unique environment and observe the biodiversity, including eel ecology, firsthand.

Organizers

Hikaru Itakura  (Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo) 

Ryoshiro Wakiya  (Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo)

Yu-San Han  (Institute of Fisheries Science, National Taiwan University)