European eel populations have collapsed by over 95% in 40 years, with turbine mortality, migration barriers, and overfishing all contributing to individual and population welfare harms.
European eels face a dual welfare and conservation crisis. Wild eels migrating downstream face turbine blade strikes that cause catastrophic injury - a single turbine installation can kill hundreds of eels nightly during migration peaks. Farmed eels face welfare concerns at slaughter, as they remain responsive after decapitation, suggesting potential pain awareness during processing. The population collapse also represents a loss of millions of individual lives annually from a species already under extreme pressure.