17/09/2026
Ryutaro Takasaki, dressed in eel-inspired gear, came all the way from Japan to experience eels at Lake Bolac.
From the District News-Eel Enthusiast Thrilled by Visit by Karen McIntyre
Japanese scientist Ryutaro Takasaki has long been fascinated by the slippery eel, taking every opportunity to
seek them out worldwide.
He recently visited Lake Bolac to experience all the eels he could possibly acquaint himself with, at the famous
Eel Festival. His cheeky personality and flamboyant eel-inspired clothing ensured he instantly became a
festival mascot amongst the crowd.
Ryutaro, aged 32, hails from Shizuoka, a city on the south coast of Japan (170km from Tokyo) well known for its
spectacular views of Mount Fuji.
He works with the Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, specialising in aquaculture,
particularly larval Japanese eel (Anguilla japonica) development and morphology. His work focuses on skeletal
deformities, cultivation techniques (including optimising large-scale incubation for Japanese eel larvae) and
evaluating eel ID tagging.
When out sleuthing eels, Ryutaro wears a specially crafted
eel shaped hat, made to order by a milliner in his home city.
He pairs this with a track suit covered in eel motifs and
emblazoned with UNAGI, the Japanese word for eel.
He was a spectacle at the rugby, barracking for the
Parramatta Eels.
Japan consumes more than 70% of the global eel catch.
Victorian production of short-finned eels (Anguilla
australis) involves wild-harvesting juvenile elvers for
extensive pond (or lake) grow-out, yielding over 200 tonnes
annually, largely for export to Europe and Asia.
With about 20 scientific families of eel and about 1000
species worldwide, Ryutaro will have plenty of eels to visit
in coming years to satisfy his passion.
