European and American eel populations have declined dramatically, and aquaculture of these species raises both conservation and welfare concerns related to their complex biology and welfare needs.
Eel welfare in aquaculture involves both direct welfare concerns for farmed individuals and broader conservation welfare concerns for declining wild populations. Eels in high-density recirculating systems face chronic crowding stress, water quality challenges, and inability to express migratory behavior that is deeply embedded in their biology. Eels are sensitive to handling and show measurable stress responses to routine management procedures. The reliance on wild-caught juveniles for farming means aquaculture demand directly impacts already critically depleted wild populations, with conservation consequences for the species that affect the welfare of millions of wild eels struggling in fragmented habitats. Welfare scientists increasingly argue that continuing eel aquaculture in its current form is ethically problematic given the conservation emergency facing European eel populations.