European and Japanese eel farming involves welfare challenges throughout the production cycle, from wild glass eel capture to intensive grow-out conditions and slaughter.
Farmed eel welfare is compromised at every stage of the production cycle. Glass eels are captured from wild rivers that are already critically depleted of the species, causing both conservation and welfare harms. In farm conditions, eels are kept at high densities in recirculating systems and are highly sensitive to the water quality fluctuations that can occur in intensive production. Slaughter practices are among the poorest in aquaculture - eels are often killed by methods including live gutting or exposure to salt that cause prolonged suffering. The combination of conservation crisis and welfare problems makes farmed eel consumption one of the most ethically problematic seafood choices. Abstaining from eel products is one of the clearest ethical food choices available.