The eels are in danger, demand continues to grow in the luxury market where the consumption of rare and expensive species becomes a status symbol.
However, the administrations and institutions with the capacity to act to protect them have shown a constant reluctance, and the latest convention of the parties of CITES highlighted it again: a key opportunity to strengthen the conservation of these species was lost.
The Anguilla genus: epic migrations and critical conservation
Eels of the Anguilla genus comprise 17 very similar fish species. All reproduce in the sea, each in specific areas, and after birth migrate to rivers and wetlands to grow. Upon reaching maturity, they return to their place of origin to reproduce and die.
The European eels are born in a still unknown location within the Sargasso Sea, starring in one of the longest and most epic migrations in the animal kingdom, spanning thousands of kilometers.
Alarming conservation status
Most eel species are in a poor conservation state, with population declines where commercial exploitation plays a fundamental role.
The most threatened are:
- European eel (A. anguilla): in critical danger of extinction since 2008.
- Japanese eel (A. japonica): endangered.
- American eel (A. rostrata): endangered.
- New Zealand longfin eel (A. dieffenbachii): endangered.
These four species face a greater risk of extinction than the Iberian lynx or the giant panda, according to international threat categories.
The role of CITES and its limitations
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) regulates international trade in species based on their threat level, classifying them into:
- Appendix I: species endangered by trade, whose international trade is virtually prohibited.
- Appendix II: species that could become threatened if their trade is not strictly regulated.
Currently, only the European eel is listed in Appendix II. At the twentieth CITES convention, held in Samarkand (Uzbekistan) in November, the European Union and Honduras proposed including all species of the Anguilla genus in this appendix. However, more than 75% of the parties opposed.
Economic pressures and institutional lobbying
The European Commission’s proposal was considered “watered down,” as it could have been more ambitious if it had included the European eel in Appendix I. However, pressure from the economic sector exploiting the species led to a lighter proposal.
The Sustainable Eel Group, an entity with strong influence in European institutions, was strongly opposed, arguing that inclusion in Appendix I would make “commercial exploitation impossible.”
Complexity of protection
Eel conservation is complex for several reasons:
- They are migratory species that use multiple habitats, all of which must be in good ecological condition.
- They face various threats: overfishing, habitat loss due to dams, parasites, invasive species, pollution, and climate change.
- They have wide distribution areas covering multiple countries with different legal frameworks.
International coordination is essential, and CITES seems to be one of the few frameworks capable of achieving it. However, its role remains insufficient.
Europe and the urgency to act
While CITES decides to take the step, the European Commission would have the power to ban the fishery of the European eel, something its advisory council on fisheries has recommended for years without success.
Halting legal trade would also complicate illegal trade, often linked to legal fisheries, and could reduce the demand for these threatened animals.
The situation of the eels reflects the tension between conservation and commercial exploitation. With species on the brink of extinction and growing demand in the luxury market, the lack of strong measures in CITES and Europe jeopardizes the survival of one of the planet’s most unique groups of fish. Strict protection and international coordination are urgent to prevent the epic migrations of eels from becoming a memory of the past.
