Protection of the European eel

Based on the scientific recommendation of the federal Thünen Institute, the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture has set the closed season for the European eel in Germany from October 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022. During this time, there is a comprehensive eel fishing ban. This is intended to protect eels in particular during the time when a large part of the stock is making its way to the spawning grounds in the Sargasso Sea in the Atlantic. The conservation status of the European eel, for which there is only one stock across Europe, has been critical for years. According to estimates by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, the occurrence of young eels, so-called glass eels, in the North Sea decreased again in 2021 and was only 0.6 percent of the total stock. In 2020 it was still 0.9 percent. In other EU waters, too, the proportion of young eels in the total stock has decreased to just 5.4 percent (2020: ...