European eel: the species trapped in a market-driven race to extinction

The European eel (Anguilla anguilla) is vanishing before our eyes. Its numbers have plummeted since the late 1970s, yet fishing pressure has not eased. On the contrary: the scarcer the eel becomes, the more valuable it is on the market. This paradox, scientists from the Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC) and AZTI warn, is pushing the species into what they call a “market extinction vortex”.

In Spain, glass eel catches once reached nearly 100 tonnes in 1978. Since then, landings have collapsed by more than 90%. Logic would suggest that fewer fish would mean less exploitation. Instead, prices skyrocketed. In 2017, despite drastically reduced catches, the glass eel trade was still worth over €8 million.

The study, published in Conservation Letters, shows that this dynamic is self-fuelling: rarity drives up price, and high prices keep fishing profitable, even when the species is on the brink.

Unlike other fisheries where rising costs can eventually halt exploitation, eel fishing is remarkably cheap. In northern Spain, shore-based fishers can operate with annual costs under €100, while boat-based fishers spend around €1,000. With market prices climbing, even small hauls generate huge profits.

This means exploitation continues unchecked, regardless of the eel’s Critically Endangered status.

From humble food to luxury symbol

Once a traditional dish, particularly in the Basque Country, glass eels—or angulas—have become a symbol of exclusivity and social prestige. Their consumption is promoted in the media, celebrated in social networks, and presented as one of Spain’s most expensive delicacies.

But luxury dining is only part of the story. Since the 1960s, European glass eels have been funnelled into aquaculture, first in Asia and later in Europe. Because eels cannot yet be bred in captivity, all aquaculture still depends on wild juveniles. This global demand has amplified pressure on the species.

The European eel is listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN and included in Appendix II of CITES. The EU banned exports outside its borders in 2011. Yet illegal trade persists. European eels are still found in Asian markets and sometimes return to Europe disguised as processed unagi products. Researchers stress that legal and illegal exploitation are part of “a single exploitation system”.

EU regulation 1100/2007 sought to aid recovery by reserving a portion of glass eel catches for restocking rivers. But scientists argue this has created perverse incentives, increasing demand without delivering population recovery. The species shows no signs of improvement.

“There is an urgent need to avoid perverse market processes related to rarity valuation, ideally establishing limitations or a moratorium on eel commercialization, for the eel to escape this vortex,” the authors write.

Unless the economic cycle is broken—by closing fisheries and banning the commercialisation of eel products—the European eel risks being fished into extinction, not because it is unwanted, but because it has become too desirable.