European eel aquaculture relies entirely on wild-caught glass eels, making it unique among major aquaculture species and raising both conservation and welfare concerns.
European eel welfare in aquaculture raises both species-level and individual welfare concerns. Wild-caught glass eels face stress during capture, holding, and transport, with significant mortality rates. Intensive eel farming in recirculation systems prevents the natural migrations that are fundamental to eel biology, raising questions about chronic frustration of migratory drives. Eels are capable of escaping through tiny gaps and may injure themselves in attempts to exit systems. Processing of eels is welfare-challenging as their reflexes persist long after traditional killing methods. The conservation crisis facing wild European eels makes the sustainability of aquaculture dependent on wild capture an additional ethical concern beyond individual welfare.