In a report published on 17 February evaluating the 2007 Regulation relating to the European eel, the European Commission says that, despite noteworthy progress in reducing fishing efforts and a concerted attempt to develop a pan-European management framework, the status of the European remains critical.
The Commission states that “the Regulation’s success in ensuring the recovery of the European eel is still far from certain, as it is widely recognised that the recovery of the European eel will take many decades”. It stresses that “further ambition is needed to implement the Regulation with a greater focus on non-fisheries related measures”.
The European eel stock is in a critical state, with recruitment at an all-time low and exploitation of the stock currently unsustainable.
The report shows that: - silver eel escapement is still well below the target of 40% biomass (that would have existed if no anthropogenic influence had impacted the stock); - some progress has been made in reducing fishing effort, but it has also risen in some Member States; - glass eel catches are steadily increasing and there is glass eel mortality through illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The report can be found at: http://bit.ly/37F8pQ8 (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)