European and Japanese eels are farmed in large numbers for food, yet welfare standards are virtually absent for a species whose biology and sentience make conventional farming deeply problematic. Eel aquaculture is also entangled with serious conservation concerns.
Eel farming occupies a unique ethical position in aquaculture: it is simultaneously a welfare concern and a conservation crisis. Because eels cannot be bred in captivity, all farming depends on wild capture of juvenile glass eels — directly depleting wild populations already at critically low levels. Welfare during farming includes the stress of intensive tank housing, handling, and ultimately slaughter. The traditional slaughter method — immersion in salt to remove mucus, followed by suffocation — is prolonged and highly aversive. Some producers have adopted electrical stunning, but the method requires careful species-specific calibration. Consumer choice is complicated: reducing eel consumption helps wild population recovery but does not directly address welfare on existing farms. Supporting certified sustainable eel products with welfare components offers a partial resolution.