To protect endangered eels, BMEL sets closed season in the North and Baltic Seas in Germany

Published 2023년 3월 7일

Tridge summary

The article outlines the urgent need for eel protection, as the species teeters on the brink of extinction due to critically low numbers. Claudia Müller, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, emphasizes the necessity of a closed eel season to allow eels to migrate to their spawning grounds and safeguard their socio-economic importance in Germany. The article also highlights the legal obligations of EU Member States to ban commercial eel fishing for a minimum of six months in marine waters and the responsibility of federal states for regulating eel protection in brackish waters. A decision on the closed eel season for the years 2023/2024 has been made, with the conditions for further protection to be discussed at the EU level by the end of 2023.

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Original content

Claudia Müller, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, explains: "Without better protection, the eel is on the verge of extinction - in view of the dramatically low stocks, it is high time to act. The closed season gives eels ready to spawn the opportunity to prepare for the long migration to their spawning grounds in the Atlantic, the Sargasso Sea east of Florida. The protection of the eel is also important because of its socio-economic importance: eel fishing secures income in many places in Germany and is a factor in tourism. Giving the eel stock a perspective therefore also means protecting the To secure the livelihoods of people on the coasts and in rural areas in the future." The determination of the closed eel season initially applies to the years 2023/2024. At the end of 2023, the framework conditions for the further protection of the eel will be negotiated at EU level. Recreational fishing (line fishing) for eel is completely banned ...

Source: Bmel