European and Japanese eels are both critically endangered; farmed eel production relies entirely on wild-caught glass eels, and welfare during farming is largely unaddressed.
Farmed eel welfare faces a double problem: the capture of wild glass eels threatens population survival while farming conditions are almost entirely unregulated for welfare. Slaughter methods for eels are among the most welfare-concerning of any farmed species. Without hatchery production capability, sustainable eel aquaculture is essentially impossible - making reduced consumption the most welfare and conservation-aligned choice.