No catches of European eel in 2026 can be in line with scientific advice

CCB • November 5, 2025

Widespread exploitation of the critically endangered European eel population continues against scientific advice, despite few signs of recovery. Yesterday, the International Exploration of the Sea, ICES, published its scientific advice on fishing opportunities and conservation for European eel for 2026. As in previous years, ICES advises zero catch for all life stages, all uses and in all habitats. The conservation advice is to reduce other human-related mortalities to zero and restore habitats.

The scientific advice on European eel requested by the EU, the UK and Norway makes very clear that no catches can be considered sustainable and that the “zero catch” [1] also applies to glass eel landings for restocking [2] and aquaculture. The message is reinforced by the advice on conservation aspects, highlighting the need to reduce other anthropogenic mortalities to zero, as well as restore both the quantity and quality of eel habitats.


The European eel (Anguilla anguilla) is a critically endangered species [3] that has suffered a dramatic decline in numbers over the past 30 years [4]. Despite the need for protection and efforts to aid its recovery, European eel continues to be fished across most of its natural range.


In the past decade, total reported commercial landings of yellow and silver eel have remained above 2 000 tonnes per year; according to ICES, several countries continue to report annual landings [5] of over 100 tonnes. Reported commercial glass eel landings [6] remain above 55 tonnes. Where available, estimates of national recreational landings of yellow and silver eels [7] show that they can be of the same order of magnitude as those of commercial fisheries. All in contradiction with the scientific advice.


Management in the EU is primarily through the Council Regulation (EC) No 1100/2007 establishing measures for the recovery of the stock of European eel. However, in response to an EU Special Request Advice for an evaluation of the national progress reports on eel management plans, ICES concluded that in most cases, escapement and mortalities are still far from the EU regulation targets and that there is no evidence that total silver eel escapement is increasing. Anthropogenic mortality also remains high. [8]

 

The need for further measures to aid eel recovery has been debated and implemented across and beyond the EU, but these are not sufficient. The Baltic Sea region is of particular importance since most eels here grow into large females, crucial to the success of spawning.


“The loss of the European eel would mean more than the disappearance of a species, it would signal the collapse of an entire ecosystem connection from Europe’s rivers to the Sargasso Sea,” comments Aimi Hamberg, CCB Marine Policy Officer. “Protecting the eel now is about restoring balance to our waters”.


Eel fishing closures, together with a complete ban of recreational fishing, intended to protect eel migration and recruitment have been adopted in EU marine waters [9], yet fishing mortality for both glass eels and silver eels remain too high. [10]


“Management of European eel continues to be contrary to scientific advice,” says Niki Sporrong, Senior Policy Officer & European eel Project Manager at FishSec. “Agreed EU objectives for the rebuilding of fish stocks and biodiversity are simply not applied to European eel. Urgent measures to minimise eel mortality must be implemented now, in both national inland, EU and international waters”.

 

—END—


FishSec – the Fisheries Secretariat is a politically independent non-profit organisation dedicated to

the protection and restoration of marine ecosystem services, with a focus on fisheries. FishSec was established in 2003 by the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, WWF Sweden and the Swedish Anglers’ Association. More info at www.fishsec.org


Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB)  – Is a politically independent, non-profit association, with over 1 500 000 members in all countries around the Baltic Sea. The main goal of CCB is to promote the protection and improvement of the Baltic Sea environment and its natural resources for present and future generations. More info at: www.ccb.se 


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NOTES TO EDITORS:


Press release on FishSec’s website is available here.

 

[1] ICES has advised that all anthropogenic mortality should be kept as close to zero as possible since 2003 (ICES, 2020). Since 2021, the advice has changed to zero for all anthropogenic mortalities, including all fishing.


[2] Restocking involves catching wild glass eels in one place and letting them go in another, often spreading viruses and disease in the process. It has been used for decades in many countries – not as a conservation measure but in order to sustain fisheries for eel. Despite the prolonged practice, no net benefit to eel reproduction has been proven. In its advice for 2026, ICES notes that “restocking is reliant on a glass eel catch, which is in contradiction with the current advice”.


[3] The European eel (Anguilla anguilla) is listed as Critically Endangered by IUCN, and is on the European Red List for freshwater fish. It is also included in Appendix II of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).


[4] The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) data on recruitment shows a dramatic decline since the assessment baseline (1960-1979), and no significant recovery. Glass eel recruitment continues to be very low. This year, the preliminary estimate for the North Sea area is 0.7 % of the baseline average and for “elsewhere Europe” 12.1 %. Yellow eel recruitment in 2024 was estimated to 14.3 %.


[5] Trends in landings  – reported commercial landings of yellow and silver eel continue to fall overall. In 2023, landings were 2,291 tonnes and in 2024, landings were around 2,055 tonnes, if we assume that Germany landed >200 tonnes based on landings from recent years. However, the Netherlands and stands out for significantly increasing reported commercial landings since the EU eel regulation was adopted.   Egypt, which has a substantial fishery for European eel and mainly targets yellow and silver eel, does not report any data to ICES and is not included in the overall estimates.


[6] EU glass eel landings –  in 2025,   reported   commercial   landings of glass eel, a fishery completely dominated by France, were at 57 tonnes. In France, landings have been increasing since 2010 and peaked at 54.5 tonnes in 2022. This year, France reported landings of 52.5 tonnes (prel. figures) – 94% of the EU catch. After Brexit, UK landings have fallen dramatically, from more than 3 tonnes to 0.6 tonnes in 2025. Spain is the only country still fishing for glass eel in the Mediterranean.


[7] Recreational landings of yellow and silver eel are completely dominated by Germany.  Total reported recreational landings for 2022 – the last year with complete figures – was 551 tonnes. In Germany, recreational landings remain very high, higher than reported commercial landings, with 275 tonnes reported for 2022. This is more than half of all reported recreational landings in the EU (52%).


[8] Assessment of European eel is complex due to the great geographical range of the population, including a number of countries outside of the ICES areas. This makes it impossible for ICES to use fishing mortality, Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) and other standard reference points for eel. As data on eel fisheries and other anthropogenic impacts remain incomplete, the assessment is based on time series for glass eel and yellow eel recruitment. Even without defined biological limit reference points, it is ICES assessment that the European eel population remains well below any potential reference points, such as Blim.


[9] Only three EU countries – Ireland, Malta and Slovenia – have prohibited all fishing for the European eel, despite the fact that it is also on the European Red List of Freshwater Fishes. Six EU countries still landed over 100 tonnes in 2024: the Netherlands (479 t), France (319 t), Germany [extrapolated from latest reported landings of >200 t], Poland (152 t), Sweden (149 t) and Denmark (101 t). Outside of the EU, Turkey (280 t) also reported landings over 100 tonnes.


[10] Eels have a complex life cycle, going through several different life stages and generally live for 10–20 years. The very small, translucent eels arriving at European coastlines every year are called glass eels. When they reach brackish or fresh waters, they transform into less transparent elvers, and then grow into yellow eels, which live along our coasts, in rivers and lakes for up to 25 years. When mature, they transform again into silver eels, which will undertake the long journey to the Sargasso Sea to spawn.

Call for Consultant / Expert : CCB Shadow Implementation Plan on the HELCOM Regional Action Plan for benthic habitat restoration

By CCB • June 2, 2026
About CCB Coalition Clean Baltic – CCB is a politically independent network, uniting 28 environmental non-profit organizations, as well as partners and experts from 11 countries surrounding the Baltic Sea. The main goal of CCB is to promote the protection and improvement of the environment and natural resources of the Baltic Sea region by encouraging new and constructive approaches and engaging people to become part of the solution instead of part of the problem. CCB Secretariat is based in Uppsala, Sweden. Background The HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) from 2021 includes a commitment to develop a regional action plan for habitat and biotope restoration by 2026. This plan is expected to: Define qualitative and quantitative restoration targets Establish a prioritized list of restoration actions Provide an implementation toolbox of best practices and methods The scope of the HELCOM action plan focuses exclusively on benthic habitats and biotopes , with particular emphasis on active restoration measures . Adoption of the plan is foreseen at the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting in November 2026. Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) recognizes the importance of the HELCOM process but also the need to strengthen ambition, improve implementation guidance, consider a source-to-sea approach, and ensure long term ecological effectiveness . Therefore, a CCB Shadow Restoration Implementation Plan will complement and critically assess the HELCOM Restoration Action Plan. The purpose of the CCB Shadow Restoration Implementation Plan is to: Provide a science-based and practice-oriented complement to the HELCOM Restoration Action Plan Identify gaps, weaknesses, and missing elements in the HELCOM Restoration Action Plan Propose concrete, implementable actions, under a source-to-sea approach, to ensure effective restoration outcomes Strengthen alignment with the BSAP objectives and broader regional and EU policies Your Role You will compile the CCB Shadow Restoration Implementation Plan with aims to: 1. Assess the proposed HELCOM restoration measures , particularly their expected ecological impact by Reviewing proposed HELCOM actions for benthic habitats Evaluating whether actions are sufficient to achieve good environmental status Identifing missing measures, insufficient ambition, or unclear guidance 2. Define recommendations on how restoration should be implemented in practice including Required scale, intensity, and geographic coverage of actions Feasibility and effectiveness of active restoration methods 3. Propose additional actions and priorities , especially where the scope of the HELCOM action plan is insufficient, such as Integration of a source-to-sea approach for better ecological coherence Passive restoration measures Including actions on riverine systems (barrier removal, flow restoration) and coastal ecosystems (dunes, wetlands, lagoons) Incorporating important fish habitats and spawning/nursery areas, as well as ecosystem connectivity 4. Align HELCOM restoration efforts with other relevant policy frameworks , including the Baltic Sea Action Plan, Marine Action Plan, EU Biodiversity Strategy, Nature Restoration Regulation, Marine Strategy Framework Directive, Maritime Spatial Planning Directive, Water Framework Directive and Common Fisheries Policy. This is a Joint efforts with WWF Baltic Sea Programme The organisations, CCB and WWF Baltic Sea Program, will produce two separate documents with separate logos and will be presented at a joint side-event at the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting in November 2026. Actions for the Consultant/Expert & products to deliver The final document of the shadow restoration implementation plan Conduct interviews with all WA Leaders and MOs of CCB working on restoration to gather concrete input Share at the end all notes of the research and transcripts of interviews with MOs Bi-weekly call of consultant + CCB to check-in on progress, problems and next steps Publications/Sources CCB Restoration Guidelines https://irp.cdn-website.com/53007095/files/uploaded/CCB+Restoration+Guidelines_Update+October+2025.pdf CCB BSAP Shadow Plan: https://www.ccb.se/publication/Shadow%20Plan Profile A college degree, preferably in marine science, political science, environmental studies, social sciences, or a comparable field Experience in political campaigning, strategic communication, or advocacy, ideally in environmental, climate, nature, or marine conservation, preferably with an NGO Knowledge about relevant political settings and frameworks in the Baltic Sea (HELCOM, BSAP, MSFD, NRRL, ...) Experience in collaborating with coalitions, initiatives and civil society actors Initiative, independence and reliability working fully remotely Excellent written and spoken English are required Contract Terms Contract Type: can be structured as a consulting contract or a fixed-term employment (for candidates based in Sweden). We are open to discuss what works best depending on your situation. Time: From 15 June until 15 Oct 2026, at 50-75% work pace. Location: Remote position. Application Process: Should you be interested in applying for this position please send your CV (max. 2 pages) together with a personal letter (max. 1 page) before 9 June 2026 to: secretariat@ccb.se *** Being an international organization, CCB’s work is carried out in English. Applications submitted in any other language will not be considered. Incomplete applications (e.g. lacking either CV or personal letter) will be also not considered. We will be reviewing applications as they come in and encourage early applications. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. *** For inquiries , contact CCB Biodiversity Officer: andrea.cervantes@ccb.se Equal Opportunities CCB is an equal opportunity employer. In the application and hiring process, CCB will not discriminate against any individual based on race, colour, sex, language, religion, national or social origin, property, disability, age, family status, sexual orientation and gender identity, economic and social situation.

Fishing & NGOs:Sustainable herring fishing in the Gulf of Bothnia is strengthened through better knowledge, long-term and ecosystem-based fisheries management, and protection of herring spawning areas

By CCB • May 28, 2026
28 May 2026 - Baltic Sea herring stocks and the herring fisheries have in recent years become a central point of contention in Baltic Sea fisheries policy. Member States' approaches to the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) recommendations for herring quotas have varied, and the public debate around herring is polarised. At the same time, dialogue between groups of fishers and other stakeholders in different countries has been limited, and not all actors have had a clear picture of each other's perspectives and needs. Within the framework of the Fisheries for the Future project, funded by Ålandsbanken’s Baltic Sea Project, Finnish and Swedish fishers, environmental organisations and researchers gathered last autumn to discuss the status of herring stocks and fishing in the Baltic Sea. Participants gained a better understanding of differences between countries and areas regarding stock status, fisheries management and research. The organisations that took part in the workshop all agree on the need for joint dialogue and wish for the cooperation to continue. “ The project combines research and practical understanding of the herring situation in the Baltic Sea. That makes the initiative particularly important, as the lessons learned can contribute to better decisions and more accurate measures going forward ," notes Crista Hietala, Head of Marketing and Communications at Ålandsbanken and the Baltic Sea Project. During the workshop, a shared understanding emerged of the complexity of the issue, where fishing is one factor but not the only cause of the state of the stocks. The need for a holistic approach was emphasised, in which environmental changes and factors affecting fisheries regulation are considered alongside fishing itself. " Herring stocks are affected by a range of interacting factors – from water quality and salinity to changes in food webs and climate change. At the same time, knowledge about how these factors interact remains limited, which contributes to increased uncertainty in management ," says Aimi Hamberg, Marine Policy Officer at Coalition Clean Baltic. More stable quotas increase predictability The predictability and economic sustainability of fishing can be improved by reducing annual variations in fishing quotas. Multi-annual and more stable quotas would facilitate the planning of fishing operations and better secure the herring's central role in the Baltic Sea ecosystem. The fishing and environmental organisations that participated in the workshop propose that EU member states ask the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) to investigate how the quota system can be developed in a more stable and long-term direction, while at the same time ensuring the recovery of sustainable herring stocks. More knowledge about herring spawning areas Workshop participants emphasise that a significantly better knowledge base is needed about herring spawning and nursery areas than what we have today. Updated information on the most important reproduction areas for herring is central to marine spatial planning, for example when siting offshore wind power and other uses of sea areas. Towards ecosystem-based stock assessments During the workshop, it was recommended that herring stock assessments should be based on an ecosystem perspective. ” We believe that stock assessments and advice on fishing quotas need to take greater account of changes in central ecosystem factors, such as predation by seals and cormorants. It is important to expand data collection in order to achieve this ," say representatives of Vi Svenska Fiskare (We Swedish Fishers). As a first step, workshop participants recommend that Finland and Sweden initiate a joint regional project in the Gulf of Bothnia, which can later be extended to other parts of the Baltic Sea. Management areas should be reviewed – dialogue on protected areas needs to continue The workshop highlighted the need to review the division of management areas in the Baltic Sea. Participants propose that the Bothnian Sea and the Bothnian Bay be separated as distinct regulatory areas. This is motivated by genetic differences between the stocks and the fish's migration patterns. In addition, participants consider it important to continue the dialogue on possible protected areas in the Bothnian Sea. Such areas could be introduced as time-limited pilot trials, whose effects are evaluated scientifically. The dialogue on protected areas in the Bothnian Sea has continued between the organisations at a meeting held in February. *** Related documents Read the press release in Swedish and in Finnish . Main outcomes of the workshop in Swedish and Finnish. *** Further information The Fisheries for the Future workshop was a collaborative project between the environmental organisation Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) and WWF Finland, with funding from Ålandsbanken’s Baltic Sea Project. Among the represented fishing organisations were Suomen Ammattikalastajaliitto/Finlands Yrkesfiskarförbund (Finnish Professional Fishers' Association), Österbottens Fiskarförbund (Ostrobothnia Fishers' Association), Vi Svenska Fiskare (We Swedish Fishers), Kustfiskarna Bottenhavet (Bothnian Sea Coastal Fishers), Ålands fiskare (Åland Fishers) and Sportfiskarna (the Swedish Anglers' Association). Fisheries management was represented by the Government of Åland and the County Administrative Board of Stockholm. In addition, experts from the Natural Resources Institute Finland, the University of Turku and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences participated.