European eels are Critically Endangered and face a remarkable combination of threats across their complex life cycle. Their welfare is compromised at multiple points from glass eel harvest to slaughter in aquaculture.
Eel welfare is among the most challenging and neglected in the food system. Traditional slaughter methods including live salting and gutting cause prolonged suffering because eels have diffuse nervous systems and remain physiologically active after decapitation. Their critically endangered status means that every individual harvested from the wild carries conservation significance. Glass eel harvest undermines population recovery. Welfare improvements require both humane slaughter standards and a fundamental reduction in eel consumption.