Alexandria, VA – May 3, 2012 — In its report to the Commission’s American Eel Management Board, an independent panel of scientists endorsed the findings of the 2012 benchmark stock assessment, which concluded the American eel population is depleted in U.S. waters. The stock is at or near historically low levels due to a combination of historical overfishing, habitat loss, food web alterations, predation, turbine mortality, environmental changes, toxins and contaminants, and disease. The panel urged the Board to examine alternative reference points to provide more protection to the spawning stock biomass.
Both trend and model analyses results indicate the American eel stock has declined in recent decades and the prevalence of significant downward trends in multiple surveys across the coast is cause for concern. Based on these findings, the stock is considered depleted. No overfishing determination can be made at this time. However, the Commission’s American Eel Technical Committee and Stock Assessment Subcommittee caution that although commercial fishery landings and effort in recent times have declined in most regions (with the possible exception of the glass eel fishery), current levels of fishing effort may still be too high given the additional stressors affecting the stock such as habitat loss, passage mortality, and disease. Fishing on all life stages of eels, particularly young-of-the-year and in-river silver eels migrating to the spawning grounds, could be particularly detrimental to the stock, especially if other sources of mortality (e.g., turbine mortality, changing oceanographic conditions) cannot be readily controlled. Management efforts to reduce mortality on American eels in the U.S. are warranted.
In response to the findings, the Board tasked the American Eel Technical Committee with developing potential management actions for Board consideration at its next meeting. A more detailed overview of the American eel stock assessment is available on the Commission website here. It was developed with the intent of aiding media and interested stakeholders in better understanding the Commission’s stock assessment results and process. The American Eel Stock Assessment Report and Assessment Peer Review Report will be posted to the Commission website under Breaking News on May 7. For more information, please contact Kate Taylor, Fishery Management Coordinator, at ktaylor@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.