European and Japanese eels are among the most threatened fish species globally, yet eel aquaculture continues to expand. The welfare and conservation implications of eel farming deserve urgent attention.
Farmed eel welfare is complicated by a unique conservation crisis. Because eels cannot be bred in captivity, every farmed eel begins life as a wild-caught juvenile — removing individuals from already depleted wild populations. The farming process itself causes significant welfare problems: eels are highly sensitive to stress from crowding, poor water quality, handling, and transport. Their complex migratory biology means they may retain strong behavioral motivations for migration that cannot be expressed in aquaculture systems. At slaughter, eels are commonly killed by chilling, salting, or gutting without prior stunning — methods associated with prolonged consciousness and suffering. Welfare and conservation interests align in calling for reduced eel consumption and a moratorium on wild glass eel capture until populations recover.