The illegal trade of the European eel has become Europe’s largest wildlife crime, rivalling the profitability of drug trafficking. Criminal networks are generating billions of euros from this illicit activity, making urgent and coordinated action by the EU and international partners essential.
In the latest episode of ‘The Road to Green’, Euronews explores why the European eel – a critically endangered species – is targeted by traffickers, and how customs officers, environmental enforcement agencies and international organisations are cooperating to fight this criminal activity.
The species’ population has plummeted by nearly 90% since the 1980s, driven by overfishing, pollution, climate change, habitat loss and illegal trade.
Euronews travels to Galicia and the Minho River in northern Spain – a crucial habitat for baby eels (called ‘glass eels’) – following their remarkable migration from the Sargasso Sea each winter. Spanish and Portuguese environmental police have started intensifying inspections along riverbanks, transport routes, and fish farms to ensure compliance with traceability rules and prevent smuggling.
The episode also features interviews with Europol and Interpol at their headquarters in Lyon, as well as national customs officers and the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA), highlighting the challenges of intercepting trafficked glass eels and coordinating cross-border enforcement.
Finally, Euronews visits the Geneva headquarters of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) to discuss the role of international cooperation in tackling the problem of eel trafficking and preserving the global eel populations.
At a recent CITES COP20 meeting, parties adopted a non-binding resolution urging collective action to safeguard these threatened animals.
International culinary chefs are also playing their part by participating in a campaign entitled ‘Eel, No, thank you!’, encouraging consumers to avoid eel products.
Watch the latest episode of ‘The Road to Green’ below to learn more.
Watch previous episodes from ‘The Road to Green’
Disclaimer
DG ENV co-finances the production of the Road to Green, while Euronews retain full editorial independence. Views and opinions expressed in the programme are solely those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the European Commission or any other entities.
Background
Protecting the European eel is a priority under the EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking (2022–2027), which aims to strengthen enforcement capacity and European cooperation. Through its actions against wildlife trafficking, the EU is also contributing to its commitments under the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) – notably Target 4 (Halt Species Extinction, Protect Genetic Diversity, and Manage Human-Wildlife Conflicts) and Target 5 (Ensure Sustainable, Safe and Legal Harvesting and Trade of Wild Species).
Europol estimates that 100 tonnes of glass eels are trafficked annually to Asia, where prices can reach over €5,000 per kilogram. In recent years, multiple convictions of eel traffickers across Europe have exposed the scale and brutality of this illicit trade. The EU and the global community are intensifying their response.
Europol’s Operation LAKE has led to major seizures, uncovering organised criminal networks that hide live eels in clandestine facilities and transport them through covert routes. Strengthening international partnerships is crucial in combating wildlife trafficking, with the EU advocating increased cooperation with transit countries and markets.
European eel protection also sits at the intersection of several EU and global policy frameworks, including the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), EU Wildlife Trade Regulations, Common Fisheries Policy, and the Eel Regulation.