WWF Sweden, SSNC and CCB call upon Swedish government to stop fishing for eels
WWF Sweden, Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC) and Coalition Clean Baltic urges the Swedish government to ban eel fishing in the EU.
The European eel is a critically endangered species with a dramatic stock size decline the past 30 years. As stated in ICES advice on 7th November 2018, “ the status of eel remains critical ” and for this reason “ all anthropogenic impacts (e.g. caused by recreational and commercial fishing on all stages, hydropower, pumping stations, and pollution) that decrease production and escapement of silver eels should be reduced to – or kept as close to – zero as possible in 2019. ”
In light of ICES advice, eNGOs urge to a total ban for all fishing of eels in all waters – but welcome the first step regarding fishing of eels over twelve centimetres, decided by the EU Fisheries Ministers last year, which will apply for three consecutive months between 1 September 2018 – 31 January 2019.
We therefore ask that Sweden take lead and push for a phasing out of the eel fishery at coming December meeting of AGRIFISH across the entire EU, on all sizes of eel and that recreational fishing is stopped.
The full letter in Swedish is available here.
