Wild Eel European Conservation: Welfare During Migration

The European eel undertakes one of the most remarkable migrations in nature - crossing the Atlantic to spawn in the Sargasso Sea - but welfare during this journey is poorly understood.

Key Facts

European eel populations have declined by over 90% since the 1970s due to multiple pressures
Silver eels migrate thousands of kilometres to the Sargasso Sea to spawn and then die
Turbine mortality at hydroelectric dams kills millions of migrating eels each year
Parasitic nematode Anguicoloides crassus infects swim bladders, impairing migration ability
Conservation measures include eel passes, turbine shutdowns during migration, and restocking
The eel's unusual life history makes welfare assessment during distant oceanic phases impossible

Welfare Considerations

Eel welfare during migration raises unique challenges. Turbine strike causes traumatic injury and death to migrating silver eels in enormous numbers. Parasitic infection compromises swim bladder function, making the thousands-kilometre migration physiologically impossible for heavily infected individuals. The prolonged starvation of the spawning migration, while natural, represents extreme physiological stress. Conservation actions that reduce turbine mortality - such as seasonal shutdowns and bypass routes - are simultaneously welfare interventions that prevent traumatic injury to millions of individual animals.

What You Can Do

Support campaigns for mandatory eel passage and turbine bypass at hydroelectric installations
Advocate for river barrier removal to restore eel migration routes
Avoid consuming eel products given the critical conservation status of the species
Support organisations working on eel conservation and population recovery
Report eel observations to national monitoring schemes to assist population assessment