September 30, 2013 — This month, European Parliament voted in favor of a resolution that called for the urgent implementation of fresh legislation to save the eel. Members of European Parliament (MEPs) urged the European Commission to table a draft law by March 2014, including sanctions against EU member states that are slow to provide the data needed to assess the stock.
There are many elements conspiring against the eel’s survival. Almost all of these are the result of man’s activities, such as the removal of natural eel habitats, increased marine pollutants, the location of barriers to migration and the introduction of marine turbines and pumps. Climate change is also believed to have played a part in the decline. But not all enemies to the eel are unintentional consequences; overfishing and an unsustainable (sometimes illegal) eel trade are also major problems. The European eel (Anguilla anguilla) has turned a big corner: not in terms of population — scientists claim the stock is still 95 percent less than it was 30 years ago; but what has happened is there’s a growing army of support that wants to ensure this mysterious fish isn’t lost forever.
“The eel is critically endangered and the member states are doing too little to save it. That is why the European Parliament calls on the Commission to present a new legislative proposal aimed at the recovery of European eel. The new law must close the loopholes in the current legislation which have led to the continued overfishing and unsustainable trade in eels,” said a statement from Isabella Lovin, member of the Fisheries Committee in European Parliament for the Swedish Greens.
MEPs have asked the commission to evaluate current restocking measures by the end of this year, paying special attention to how much they really contribute to eel recovery. The results of this evaluation must feed into the commission’s new legislative proposal, which must aim “with high probability,” to achieve the recovery of the European eel stock, said the voted text.
Furthermore, the MEPs also voted to oblige EU member states to report more often on the impact of eel stock management measures: once every two years instead of once every sixth year. Member states which do not comply with the reporting and evaluation requirements would have their eel fishing effort halved.
Read the full story at Seafood Source