Despite a 2009 ban, the illegal export of European eel persists outside its territory. Smuggled to aquaculture facilities in Asia, these eels, who are not only endangered but also transported live, are fattened into adult eels to be used for consumption. This illegal trade has become highly profitable, as it has generated an estimated amount of €2‑3 billion in some years, colliding head-on with other serious organized crime activities.
Collaborating more closely to find out about the trafficked eels and dismantling these smuggling organizations are none other than European customs officials, environmental police, regulatory agencies, and even international bodies such as Europol and INTERPOL. Europol’s Operation LAKE has led to a seizure of glass eels, which were being moved through clandestine facilities and hidden transport routes. The operation is an example of how these organizations have made some progress to save these endangered species.
At their younger stage, glass eels are difficult to visually distinguish from other species, which comes as a plus point for traffickers, as they often mislabel shipments or mix species to avoid detection, which makes enforcement highly challenging on most occasions. As a result, law enforcement agencies are starting to use DNA testing technologies, which can identify the species in a shipment quite rapidly, which enables more effective ways to follow through with seizure as well as prosecution efforts.
Officials stress that seizures alone are not enough. “A seizure in itself is not always a success,” said Barend Janse Van Rensburg, Chief of the Enforcement Unit at the CITES Secretariat. “You must find the people behind this illegal trade.” Strengthening legal frameworks and judicial cooperation across borders is therefore considered essential to effectively disrupt organized crime networks engaged in eel trafficking.
The fight against eel trafficking is a key component of the European Union‘s (EU) broader Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking (2022-2027). Their main aim is to stop all illegal trade in endangered species and to make sure to strengthen biodiversity protection across member states. As one can identify how much the EU is committed to fulfilling its obligations under the Global Biodiversity Framework to stop species extinction and to encourage sustainable use of wildlife, the European eel is listed under this very initiative.
International cooperation is also critical. At the 20th Conference of the Parties (CoP20) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in late 2025, parties adopted a resolution calling for enhanced collaboration on eel trade and management. This includes efforts to improve traceability, share enforcement intelligence, and develop science‑based policies for species conservation.
The continuing increase of European eel extinction, as well as population decline, is not only because of illegal trade, but also because of various other reasons. Pollution, climate change, habitat loss, and also infrastructure like dams, which block migration routes for these innocent sea creatures, are some of the many other reasons that are leading to their decline. Combined reinforcement, sustainable fisheries management, public awareness campaigns, and also habitat restoration are taken as comprehensive strategies citizens must take to safeguard these wildlife creatures.
Beyond enforcement, grassroots movements are also emerging. In parts of Europe, chefs and environmental campaigners have begun urging consumers to avoid eating eel, likening the ethical issues to other critically endangered species conservation debates. While eel remains legal to catch and sell in many EU countries, such public pressure reflects growing concern about the species’ long‑term survival.
While the EU continues to increase their efforts, the battle against illegal eel trafficking shows us how strongly the interconnected nature of environmental conservation, organized crime, and also global trade have begun impacting each other. Without sustainable enforcement cooperation and much more vast policy support, the experts have warned that the future of this innocent, ecologically significant species remains at serious risk.
