The European Parliament came out in favour, on Tuesday 21 November in Strasbourg, of the ‘Eel Regulation’ objective of reducing the eel stock to 40% of virgin conditions in order to allow the recovery of stocks that are in poor condition, by adopting (487 votes in favour, 19 against and 89 abstentions) the report by Bert-Jan Ruissen (ECR, Dutch) on this subject.
The European Parliament points out that the data shows that the decline in glass eel and yellow eel recruitment has halted since the adoption of the ‘Eel Regulation’, indicating that the text is “producing positive preliminary results”, but that the stock remains at a historically low level. The European Parliament is calling for better implementation of the 2007 regulation on eel recovery.
MEPs criticise the EU Council’s position (end 2022) which “restricts eel fishing by means of a six-month closure period without considering a full package of measures”. Restocking is a necessary measure in the short to medium term “until the problem of migratory barriers has been adequately resolved”. according to the European Parliament. It calls on Member States to put in place appropriate management plans for other species affecting the eel population, such as cormorants. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)