The European eel is one of the most critically endangered fish species in Europe. Its extraordinary life cycle makes conservation uniquely challenging and individual welfare difficult to assess.
European eel welfare considerations operate at both individual and population levels. Individual eels that encounter hydroelectric turbines during migration face blade strikes causing injury or death. The collapse of the wider population means that each individual eel's survival and successful reproduction has elevated conservation significance. The welfare of individual eels - adequate prey, suitable habitat, safe migration corridors - is inseparable from the species' survival. Restoring eel populations requires simultaneously addressing habitat connectivity, fishing pressure, and the ocean conditions affecting larvae.