European and Japanese eels are farmed in significant numbers, yet their welfare needs and pain sensitivity have received little regulatory attention. Emerging research is beginning to address this gap.
Eels occupy an unusual position in animal welfare: they are extensively farmed with minimal welfare standards while wild populations are critically endangered, creating the perverse situation that farm demand threatens wild juveniles captured for stocking. Welfare research on eels is sparse compared to salmon, leaving management largely without evidence-based standards. The emerging consensus that eels experience pain makes traditional slaughter methods increasingly ethically problematic. Encouraging adoption of electrical stunning and improved stocking management provides direct welfare benefits to millions of farmed eels.