The European eel is critically endangered, and its complex life cycle means welfare challenges occur at multiple stages from elver capture to adult aquaculture and migration.
The European eel's welfare is inseparable from its critically endangered conservation status. Elvers captured for restocking face stress from collection, handling and transport. Farmed eels in intensive recirculating systems experience high stocking densities and the chronic stress associated with confinement far from their natural migratory environment. Eels approaching sexual maturity experience strong migratory drive that cannot be expressed in captivity, creating behavioural frustration. The welfare of individual eels and the conservation of the species are aligned: practices that reduce elver capture mortality and improve survival of restocked individuals directly benefit both welfare and population recovery.