Oh my, this was gone for a little while wasn't it! I do quite like this story, its one of those calm fun stories that still has just enough of a story and such going on to keep it from being episodic.
@Hounder: Eels are bottom feeders, so these should serve as good nutrition for them, and the people can then catch those eels for Nobu to make more eel dishes.
See? This is a way for these people to contribute to society.