European eels are critically endangered and farmed extensively in Asia, with welfare and sustainability concerns about a species that cannot complete its life cycle in captivity.
Eel aquaculture represents a dual welfare and conservation crisis. The reliance on wild-caught glass eels for all eel farming means that aquaculture directly depletes already critically endangered wild populations rather than reducing pressure on them. Individual farmed eels are sensitive animals with well-documented stress responses to handling, crowding, and water quality changes. Slaughter methods for eels vary widely, with many operations using methods that cause prolonged suffering. The welfare case for reducing eel consumption is unusually strong because there is no welfare-positive eel aquaculture option available while closed-cycle farming remains impossible.