Screening of eels is one of the fixed and most important jobs of raising eels. Eels have different sizes at regular intervals because the growth rate of each eel is different, depending on their feed rate, which seriously affects the overall growth of the young eels. Therefore, frequent screening to separate different sizes of eels in the process of growing eel and cultivating them from glass eel into adult eel often is very advantageous for the gross life of the eels. In addition, the number of screening is also affected by the size of the input eels and the farming skills of eel farmers. Some farmers screen eels once a month, some screen once every 4 to 5 months, but some skilled farmers may never screen.

 

In fact, the whole screening process is very difficult. The eel ponds that need to be classified must start to release water beforehand so that the water level is low enough to allow the net to encircle the whole pond. The workers arrive early in the morning, start to fence the net so that the baby eel can be collected and then, all the eel batches are shipped to the indoor pool as soon as possible. Therefore, the whole process of screening eels is no sleep time, until and unless the eels are screened and transported back to the eel pond.

 

It was very difficult in the past, several tons and even a dozen tons of young eels were put ashore by hand and bucket. Nowadays, with the help of advanced technology, it has been completely modified. Young eels, now, are pumped ashore by the machine and then transported to the indoor pond by pipelines and thus, the manual classification has become much easier. After the classification is completed, we send the eels to other previously sterilized, exposed and cleaned pools. The old ponds are properly rested and organized in order to make the new home of the next batch of eels. However, when the breeding density is high, the old pond can't be left to rest they are also taken in use.

 

Regarding the eel catching and classification process, please refer to the photos:

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1. Artificial seine is set to trap the eels.

2. Eels are collected in the fixed net.

3. Modern suction equipments are used to transfer them to fresh water.

4. Eels are sucked ashore to separate them from sewage eel and let them enter the lagoon and wait for  

    grading.

5. Eels are classified into different groups according to the specification they meet on the selection

    platform.

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Source of photos: Anonymous