Eels feeding with a pendulum feeder
So far the artificial reproduction of eels has eluded scientists. Mature European eels must swim against the Gulf Stream for 9 months to reach the spawning grounds in the Sargasso Sea north of the West Indies. The eel larvae produced by the spawning eels drift with the Gulf Stream across the Atlantic and back to Europe. Outside the continental shelf of Europe the eels go through a metamorphosis and become glass eels which are capable of reaching rivers and lakes, at this stage the eels weigh roughly 0,3g each and are completely transparent.
Scandinavian Silver Eel imports glass eels by air principally from England and upon arrival at Helsingborg they are placed in a quarantine. During a quarantine of several weeks the glass eels are carefully examined for diseases and in particular for the presence of viruses.
Young quarantined eels destined for restocking are sold directly from the quarantine. The fingerling eels to be used for the production of consumption eels are transferred to the fingerling unit in the eel farm. In the eel farm the eels are given feed made high quality marine fish meal and fish oil, with added vitamins and minerals, using computer controlled equipment. In order to achieve optimal growth rates the eels must be graded every 6 weeks to avoid cannibalism and reduce competition.