European and Japanese eels are critically endangered, with eel farming raising both sustainability and welfare concerns that receive little public attention.
Eel farming represents a unique intersection of conservation and welfare concerns - farming depends on depleting wild populations of a critically endangered species while subjecting farmed animals to poor welfare conditions. The inability to breed eels in captivity means no reform of farming can decouple it from wild population impact. Slaughter methods including live filleting are among the more extreme welfare harms in food production. The cultural significance of eel in Japanese cuisine creates complex barriers to consumption reduction. Welfare improvements in slaughter methods are technically feasible and would address the most acute suffering.