Eels are one of the least welfare-regulated farmed fish species despite large production volumes and evidence of pain sensitivity and stress responses.
Eel welfare is doubly neglected: as aquatic animals they receive less regulatory attention than terrestrial species, and within aquaculture they receive even less attention than salmonids. Yet eels demonstrate clear indicators of sentience — they show pain avoidance behavior, behavioral lateralization suggesting complex neural function, and stress responses that affect physiology and behavior. Slaughter practices are particularly concerning: live chilling slows but does not eliminate consciousness, and gutting without prior stunning causes intense suffering in a conscious animal. Electrical stunning before slaughter is feasible and effective for eels. The dependence of European eel aquaculture on wild glass eel capture — from a Critically Endangered species — creates a conservation crisis that compounds the welfare concerns.