Powerful Sustainable Eel Cultivation from Cilacap is Amazing!

Ruddy Sutomo, a resident of Kaliwungu Village, Kedungreja District, Cilacap, has been cultivating eels for dozens of years.

Initially the business failed, due to several things such as feed that was not suitable and failed to export to Japan because it did not meet demand

Now, Ruddy Sutomo and the United Eel Cooperative have succeeded in producing eels to meet market needs. In fact, now Kaliwungu has been designated as an eel and pilot village by the KKP and the site for the first demonstration of the IFish program from FAO

The United Eel Cooperative releases 2.5 percent of broodstock so that eel cultivation can be sustainable

For the last 15 years, Ruddy Sutomo has been cultivating eels, which is now based in Kaliwungu Village, Kedungreja District, Cilacap, Central Java (Central Java). Because he has been involved in eel cultivation for dozens of years, Ruddy already knows enough about how to cultivate eels properly. At the same time he realized the importance of eel conservation for its sustainability.

"We know that eels are not like eels, carp, tilapia, catfish and others. If it can breed itself. However, for eels it is impossible. Because eels spawn in the deep sea. This is what distinguishes between eels and other cultivated fish. For this reason, a commitment is needed to maintain the sustainability of eel cultivation," he said.

Eel ( Anguilla spp .) is one of the Indonesian water resources with special characteristics with a catadromous lifestyle. Namely living inhabiting several aquatic conditions including fresh, brackish and marine waters.

During its life, eels go through several life cycles. In the larval phase in the open sea area, the juvenile phase in the continental to brackish shelf area, the eel phase is in the downstream area of ​​the river, the adult phase is in the upstream area of ​​the river including lakes and springs.

As an actor in eel cultivation, Ruddy must prioritize protecting the ecosystem and managing eel commodities in a sustainable manner. "How to cultivate eels in a sustainable manner, that's what's important. Because, eels can not be spawned. Spawning should take place in nature. If not sustainable, scarcity can occur, even extinction. If extinction occurs, the losers are also cultivators," he said.

So he is committed to returning the broodstock to their habitat so that the life cycle of the eels can continue. This commitment is realized by allocating 2.5% of broodstock eels for release. For example, if 1,000 broodstock are harvested, then 25 are released into nature.

“So, 2.5% of the eels that have been cultivated are released. The aim is to restock in rivers, so they can do spawning naturally. Before being released into the river, given a special sign. So if fishermen are found, they can find out where they are going," he explained.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Cilacap Fishery Service, Indarto, said that what the eel cultivators in Cilacap did was an obligation and had now become local wisdom.

"Therefore, the broodstock must be released so that these biota can spawn. If spawning, then the benefits are also obtained by the cultivators again. Because they can catch baby eels to raise them,” said Indarto.

According to him, his party also continues to provide guidance in accordance with the policies of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP). For example, about the ban on the export of seeds. So it is necessary to carry out joint awareness as well as monitoring. In addition, he continued, his party also prohibits fishing that is not environmentally friendly, such as using electricity and poison strooms.

“Another step is to protect the eel's habitat. The environment where eels live is not only the sea, but the river channel that flows into the sea. This is the importance of protecting the environment which is the flow of eels from the estuary to the upper reaches of the river," he said.

The reason is, after spawning in the deep ocean, then migrating or moving towards the estuary. So, the eel's instinct will lead to the upstream of the river. We continue to encourage biota wealth to be maintained by carrying out conservation," he said.

Also Read: Electronic Waste, a New Threat to the Environment is coming!

So a Tantalizing Business

Ruddy Sutomo's journey as an eel cultivator has been quite a long one. In fact, he experienced ups and downs in cultivating eels. He became interested in growing eel cultivation after a Japanese man was looking for him.

“At that time, the Japanese were looking for unagi. It turns out that after touring Kaliwungu, Kedungreja here, what unagi means is eel. At first I really didn't know. Because we had found what we were looking for, we were asked to send it to Japan," he explained.

Long story short, continued Ruddy, his party sent it to Japan. The volume is not much, only 500 kilograms. However, it only sends twice, after which it stops. Apparently, the reason the Japanese no longer want to accept, is because the unagi or eels that are sent come from wild catches.

“It turns out that the Japanese don't like eels that are directly taken from nature. They prefer cultivated eels. The problem with natural eels is that the meat is too thick, not tender, fishy and smells of mud. Therefore, I started to try cultivation. Because actually, the market potential for eels is so big,” he said.

Ruddy started farming in 2010, supplying glass eel sized eels. Just feed sober. As it turned out, the results were not as expected. In fact, you could say it was a total failure.

"He came with people from the Japanese government who are in charge of fisheries. I received special training on how to cultivate eels as well as how to make eel feed with high protein value," he explained.

In 2013, Ruddy began to implement the knowledge he had obtained from the Japanese. "I tried to make eel feed in Tasikmalaya, West Java. The result is good. In fact, I can export up to four containers of eel feed to Vietnam. I thought, this is my capital to continue eel cultivation which had failed. Until finally, I returned home to use the family's rice field for a pond. The location is strategic, because it is around the Cibereum river basin (DAS). The results turned out to be good, and I decided to be more serious the following year,” he said.

For three years 2014-2017, Ruddy cultivated it himself, assisted by residents. In 2017, he then formed a fish cultivating group (Pokdakan). Now Pokdakan has transformed into the United Eel Cooperative until now. Ruddy later became the manager of the cooperative.

In fact, now Kaliwungu is designated as an eel village. Its name is Kampung Sidat Kaliwungu and it was established in 2018. The local location is a pilot for the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP). Not only that, Kaliwungu was used as the location for IFish's first demonstration which is a collaborative project between FAO and KKP with support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

With the United Eel Cooperative, the eel cultivation business continues to grow. With 27 members, eel production can reach 1 ton per month. The income earned ranges from IDR 360 million to IDR 400 million. "Revenue is quite good and able to improve people's standard of living," he said.

The market share is still very large, because cooperatives are asked to meet the needs of up to 50 tons each month. Even though they continue to boost production, the cooperative still holds a commitment to conservation. Namely continuing to release some broodstock, so that the availability of eel seeds continues.