Eels are farmed in significant quantities in Asia and Europe, but their welfare needs are among the least studied of any commercially farmed fish species.
Eel welfare is a largely uncharted territory where basic questions - do eels experience suffering? what are their welfare needs? - lack comprehensive answers. The available evidence suggests eels have nociceptors and respond to noxious stimuli in ways similar to other fish. High-density culture creates conditions for disease, stress, and physiological compromise. The reliance on wild-caught juveniles means the welfare of the founding population is already compromised by capture, transport, and early adaptation to captive conditions. The critically endangered status of European eel means every glass eel removed from the wild also carries conservation costs. Regulatory frameworks provide minimal welfare protections for eels specifically.