European eels are critically endangered yet still farmed extensively, with their welfare in aquaculture receiving minimal attention despite evidence of stress sensitivity and pain capacity.
Farmed eel welfare sits at the intersection of conservation crisis and welfare neglect — a critically endangered species farmed extensively with welfare standards largely absent from regulatory frameworks. The dependency of eel aquaculture on wild glass eel capture creates an immediate conservation problem; the conditions of captive farming create an ongoing welfare problem. Addressing eel welfare requires simultaneous attention to welfare standards during farming, humane slaughter methods, and the deeper question of whether farming a critically endangered species is ethically or ecologically justifiable regardless of welfare improvements made to the farming process itself. Consumer choices to avoid farmed eel products contribute to both welfare improvement and conservation pressure.