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Commission proposes EU action to protect European eels
IP/03/1332
2nd October 2003
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The European Commission has adopted a Communication on the development of a Community Action Plan for the management of European eels. This stock is currently outside safe biological limits. This is mostly due to fishing at unsustainable levels and the effects of other human activity on the eels' habitats and migratory patterns. As eels are to be found at various stages of their life-cycle in the waters of the northern Atlantic and then in fresh and brackish waters in almost all of Europe and northern Africa, co-ordinated conservation measures are needed to safeguard the stock. This is why the Commission proposes that eel management be built up from a set of local actions to be put in place by the Member States according to an agreed standard. These actions should ensure the survival and the migration of the eel in all its habitats. While this plan is being developed, the Commission will propose urgent measures to ensure that mature eels can migrate back to the sea to spawn. The Commission intends to formulate the urgent measures at the beginning of next year and the long-term management system at the end of 2004.
“We need to ensure that this important resource both as a fishery and in aquaculture is safeguarded. The integrated approach proposed by the Commission will allow for common targets to be met through the application of measures tailored to local conditions”, commented Franz Fischler, Commissioner responsible for Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries.
A two-step process
According to scientific advice, there is an urgent need for a management plan for eels. Stock recovery requires that measures be implemented at all stages of the eel's life cycle. In estuaries, fisheries for glass eels that are used as seed for aquaculture need to be managed so that enough glass eels are left over to populate the river habitats. Upstream, fishing effort should be limited in order to allow a sufficient number of eels to survive until the start of the spawning migration. Finally, when the oldest eels start to migrate downstream, fisheries should be managed so as to make sure that eels are not all caught when migrating to the sea.
It is also essential to make sure that river water is of good enough quality for eel survival and growth and that migrating eels are not hindered or killed by dams or hydroelectric installations.
These measures will have to be replicated across the area of distribution of the eel stock. Given their life cycle, this means that co-ordinated action is required from a whole range of players in a number of countries.
To formulate and co-ordinate this action, more data are needed on the stock and its habitats and on numerous fisheries. This is why the Commission proposes that while this information is being gathered, some emergency measures are put in place to promote stock recovery.
The Commission proposes that measures to protect eels include the following:
Targets for eel management at different life stages
These targets would reflect the three life stages of the eel from glass eel to yellow and silver eel. Thus, settlement targets would encourage measures such as the introduction of eel passes in dams to allow juvenile or glass eels to migrate upstream, while stocking targets for yellow eels could be met by imposing restrictions on local fisheries, extending and improving eel habitats or restocking using eels from aquaculture production. In the case of escape targets, local measures would be required to promote the escape of mature or silver eels from inland waters to the spawning grounds at sea by, for example, building eel passes in dams and/or prohibiting the use of some fishing gears. The guiding principle is that local management authorities should all work on eel conservation and management to a common standard throughout Europe.
Collation of information and reporting on the effects of the measures in place
Knowledge of local conditions is essential to the setting and monitoring of the above targets. The Commission will propose, based on a scientific evaluation, a comprehensive data collection system for eel at Community level.
Establishing EU measures where they can reinforce local management
While most recovery measures require decisions and action at the local level, some measures can only be implemented at EU level. Examples include the setting up of minimum sizes for marketing purposes or the licensing of trading in eels. The provision of EU financial aid to retrain the fishermen concerned or help them leave the sector will be considered by the Commission.
Provision of scientific and technical support to local management
Information on the existing local measures is required to provide data and examples of good practice. The management systems and river basin authorities established under the Water Framework Directive offer a structure for the co-ordination of management authorities within river basins. Additional institutional systems may be required to address issues common to eel across several river basins.
The international dimension of eel conservation
Given the trans-boundary distribution of eels, international co-operation is crucial to the success of a management plan. The relevant organisations include the European Inland Fisheries Advisory Commission (EIFAC) together with the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM). Other parties involved could include the Advisory Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture (ACFA). Bilateral agreements would also be required with some countries such as Norway and Russia.
Emergency measures
Scientific advice from ICES recommends that the rate of exploitation of eel be reduced to the lowest possible level while an effective management plan is being developed. The Commission invites Member States to consider the type of measures that could be applied. These range from a prohibition of fishing in specific areas or for specific life stages to setting minimum landing sizes through closed seasons and habitat restoration initiatives. The Commission believes that priority should be given to promoting the escape of silver (or mature) eels.
It will now begin a wide-ranging debate with Member States and stakeholders, and will seek complementary scientific advice to develop the set of local management targets and relevant instruments. It will also look at ways to develop the information systems needed to inform local decisions. In addition, the Commission will examine the emergency measures that could be applied with immediate effect.
Background
Eels spawn in the Sargasso Sea in the Western Central Atlantic Ocean. The larvae drift and swim into river mouths all over Europe and northern Africa, when they migrate upstream to spend most of their lives. Eventually the oldest eels will migrate back downstream and across the Atlantic when they will spawn once and die. Because of the vast distances eels cover in their migrations, conservation measures need to be co-ordinated across all countries where eels are distributed, and they need to cover both fishing for eels and river management issues like dam construction and fish passes. The smallest eels are fished for ongrowing in aquaculture, whilst older eels are fished directly for food. All eels are threatened by river modifications such as dams and hydroelectric turbines that restrict migrations up and down rivers.
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