The European eel remains listed as endangered, and its population shows little sign of recovery. A recent report from the International Council for Marine Exploration (ICES) notes that in Spain only the Balearic Islands met a recovery benchmark, with about 40% of samples escaping to the sea. In response, WWF and ANSE are calling on the European Commission to take urgent action to halt the species’ decline, reduce mortality, and implement measures such as closing or severely restricting fisheries, restoring freshwater habitats, and removing barriers in rivers that block migration.
The study, released this week, analyzes how national management plans for the European eel have been implemented across the European Union for a species already deemed critically endangered. It concludes that the share of eels escaping to the sea in the EU has not improved since 2012.
The European Commission previously set a target to reduce eel mortality by ensuring that at least 40 percent of the biomass escapes to the sea. Yet silver eel escapes have not increased and have even declined in some areas since Member States began reporting the plans in 2012.
The report surveys 84 eel management units across the EU and finds that only nine met or exceeded the escape target, out of the 16 units that had achieved the target in 2012. Only one unit shows a continuing upward trend in silver eel escape, highlighting ongoing concerns about the species’ recovery.
Raúl García, fisheries coordinator for WWF Spain, described the results as disappointing and questioned the adequacy of the EU’s eel recovery measures.
Turn off or restrict fishing
He added that since the 2007 regulation, NGOs have not observed meaningful improvements and therefore urge the EU and member states to align with ICES recommendations and the objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy. This could involve closure or substantial restrictions on fishing activities.
Urgent consideration should also be given to improving access to suitable habitats, many of which require restoration. Removing artificial barriers that hinder eel migration would help enhance ecological conditions and support enforcement against illegal fishing and international trafficking, in line with the Water Framework Directive, according to WWF Spain’s fisheries coordinator Raúl García.
ANSE’s Carmen Martínez emphasized that experts’ recommendations stress reducing human-caused mortality in addition to fishing-related deaths. Habitat degradation and fragmentation, particularly barrier effects, pose major risks for long-lived species like the European eel.
Martínez noted that ANSE and WWF have spent eight years marking and monitoring eels in varied aquatic ecosystems in southeast Iberia, especially around the Mar Menor and the southern Alicante region. Coastal channels, natural wetlands, and even some man-made wetlands are important reservoirs for eel populations in these areas.
Acting on freshwater habitats is essential to boosting eel populations and to guiding river management and regulatory infrastructure in a way that respects the eel’s life cycle.
Today, many countries still permit eel fishing at various life stages, even though the species has been listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) since 2008.
Criticism of the European Commission
NGOs reference ICES’ recommendation to close all European fisheries across habitats and life stages, a proposal discussed by the Fisheries Ministers Council in December 2021. Since then, the Commission has faced calls to publicly present new recovery measures for the European eel in the following autumn.
Spain has implemented several measures in recent years, including a ten-year moratorium on eel fishing in Andalusia, expansion of non-professional fishing prohibitions in the Valencian Community, and reduced fishing hours with quotas for professional fishing in the Region of Murcia. There have also been efforts to curb illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.
Experts argue that investments in restoring river beds and wetlands, along with improved river connectivity and a more effective ecological flow regime in Iberian rivers, could positively impact important eel basins in the coming years.
These ongoing efforts reflect a broader push to balance conservation needs with sustainable fishing, while recognizing the eel’s ecological importance and long lifespan. The discussion continues as researchers and policymakers explore practical pathways to support eel populations across Europe.
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