Exploring Recent Japanese Public Perception of Freshwater Eels of the Genus Anguilla Using Content Analysis of Newspaper Coverage

Abstract

Japan has one of the highest consumption rates of freshwater eels, some of which are threatened by multiple factors, including anthropogenic activities. The level of public support for eel conservation should be affected by the Japanese public's perception of eels, but little is known about this. Here, we conducted a content analysis of newspaper coverage using 423 articles referring to freshwater eels published from 19 July 2020, to 28 July 2021, to examine aspects of eels that potentially motivate people to conserve them and people's perception of the eel population status. Our results suggest that Japanese people can be motivated to conserve eels for consumption, but some people appear to underestimate the population crisis because of shifting baseline syndrome; that is, people have become accustomed to a deteriorated population status. Of note, as interest in the eel catch, supply and abundance trends may increase around specific days, such as Doyo Ushi no Hi, on which most Japanese people conventionally consume eel dishes, educational activities on these days would be effective at reinforcing public support. It was found that experience with eels in nature appeared to decrease more drastically than experience with eel dishes, and this has been suggested as one of the factors encouraging the progress of shifting baseline syndrome. These results have implications for determining appropriate approaches to encourage Japanese society to conserve wild eel populations. However, our results were inferred from articles that might be potentially biased in content compared to public perception itself. Future studies are needed to verify our results and their implications using more robust methods and to examine the transition pattern of the Japanese public's perception of eels and the relevant factors affecting this perception.