Adult eels migrate from Europe back to the south-west North Atlantic, into the Sargasso Sea, to spawn. This journey through the Atlantic takes around five to six months.

The adult eels spawn in the Sargasso Sea and lay up to 2 million eggs per kilogramme of body weight.

The hatched larvae embark on a journey that takes them across the Gulf Stream to the coasts of Europe. This migration takes around three years.

They reach the European coast as mature elvers.

Our elvers are caught on the French coasts.

Glass eels migrate to running and inland waters. Depending on the geographical location, they remain here for several years. During this time, they go through several stages of development and grow into adult eels.

The elvers are then transported to our rearing facilities in Emsland.

Our modern rearing facilities are home to almost 1.5 million eels in 60 specially designed pools. The constant rearing temperature of 24 – 26°C is carefully controlled. Regular biological cleaning processes and biofilter towers maintain the water quality.

Our Fish Farm

These technologies ensure an oxygen content of 8.5 to 9.5 mg per litre. Every six weeks, we sort the eels fully automatically according to their size and transfer them to appropriate tanks.

After rearing, we process the eels using state-of-the-art technology. This enables fast and hygienic processes. We attach particular importance to gentle methods in order to treat the eels in a species-appropriate manner

The rearing

Je nach Kundenwunsch versenden wir die Aale lebend oder geschlachtet. Sie werden in unterschiedlichen Größen und Gewichten geliefert. Der Versand erfolgt sicher mit spezialisierten Transportfahrzeugen oder durch Kühlspeditionen. So kommen die Aale unversehrt und schonend zu Räuchereien und Kunden in ganz Europa. Wir sortieren die Aale nach Größe und liefern sie mit einem Gewicht zwischen 150 und 1000 Gramm aus.

The processing The shipping

Zusätzlich zu unserer Arbeit in der Zucht und Verarbeitung engagieren wir uns aktiv für den Erhalt des europäischen Aals. Im Rahmen der Initiative zur Förderung des Europäischen Aals e.V. unterstützen wir Besatzmaßnahmen und Forschungsprojekte.

Wir fördern auch das Aussetzen großer, laichreifer Weibchen in barrierefreie Küstengewässer, welche sich dann wieder auf den Weg machen in den südwestlichen Nordatlantik, in die Sargassosee.

Initiative eel

Sargassosee

The journey of the eel

The European eel begins its life cycle in the distant Sargasso Sea, an area in the southwestern North Atlantic. Here, adult eels spawn and lay up to 2 million eggs per kilogram of body weight. The hatched larvae embark on an amazing journey that takes them via the Gulf Stream to the coasts of Europe. This migration takes about three years.

Upon reaching the European coasts, the young eels migrate into rivers and inland waters, where they remain for several years depending on the geographical location. During this time, they go through several developmental stages and grow into adult eels. Once the eels have reached full maturity, a new, impressive migration back to the Sargasso Sea begins. This journey across the Atlantic takes about five to six months. In the final phase of this migration, the eels finally reach the Sargasso Sea, where they complete their life cycle and spawn again.

Learn more about our fish farm

At the ALBE fish farm, we offer eels optimal conditions for their development. Our modern rearing facilities house nearly 1.5 million eels of different age groups in 60 specially designed basins. The constant rearing temperature of 24°C is carefully controlled, while regular biological cleaning processes and biofilter towers maintain water quality.

These technologies ensure an oxygen content of 8.5 to 9.5 mg per liter, creating ideal living conditions for the eels. Every six weeks, we automatically sort the eels by size and transfer them to appropriate tanks to optimally promote their growth.

After rearing, we process the eels using state-of-the-art technology that enables fast and hygienic processes. We place particular emphasis on gentle methods to treat the eels in a species-appropriate manner. Our specialists always work responsibly to meet high standards of quality and sustainability.

Depending on customer requirements, we ship the eels live or slaughtered, in different sizes and weights. Shipping is carried out safely with our specialized transport vehicles or through refrigerated shipping companies to bring the eels intact and gently to smokehouses and customers throughout Europe. We sort the eels by size and deliver them weighing between 150 and 1000 grams to meet the individual needs of our customers.

In addition to our work in breeding and processing, we are actively engaged in the conservation of the European eel. As part of the Initiative for the Promotion of the European Eel e.V., we support restocking measures and research on eels. Furthermore, we promote the release of large, mature females into barrier-free coastal waters to support natural reproduction.

Through these measures, we make an important contribution to the protection of the European eel and help ensure that future generations can also enjoy this special fish. For us, sustainability is not just a concept, but a commitment that we live by daily. In this way, we accompany the eel from rearing to the end customer while simultaneously contributing to sustainability and the preservation of the species.