Eels, the iconic and high-demand species, has experienced a dramatic decline in recent decades. The European eel population has fallen by 90% since the 1970s, due to factors from fishing, barriers to migration and pollution to poaching, illegal export to Asia and climate change.
In this episode, we will “follow the fish” on its complex journey, starting with the arrival of tiny glass eels at the European coast after 2-years and 1,000s of kilometres of drifting from the spawning sites at the Sargasso Sea off the US east coast.
In southwestern France, we meet aquaculture producers that use innovative recirculation systems to grow elvers for human consumption, following up at a Dutch smokehouse that contributes to projects restoring eel sustainability. We’ll meet with Dutch and French biologists studying the decline of the European eel, and show ongoing efforts to mitigate migration barriers on the eels’ ways into the inland rivers and back to the Sargasso Sea for the spawning that culminates their long and unique lifecycle.
Tune in to Euronews from 30 November @ 20:50 CET – on any platform.
OCEAN is a Euronews magazine in collaboration with the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (MARE). Season 3 features monthly 8-minute videos, where we discover fascinating projects and developments related to the ocean and coastal communities.
Broadcast since 2019, OCEAN features episodes on marine protected areas, small-scale fisheries, ocean energy, aquaculture, IUU fishing, sustainable fisheries and much more. Missed one? Check them out on the Euronews website! You will also find some nice extras about these topics.
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Details
- Publication date
- 30 November 2021
- Author
- Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries