http://www.sustainableeelgroup.org/

Sustainable Eel Group, Brussels (2026)

16/05/2026

The Sustainable Eel Group has chosen a new form of independent recognition for its SEG Standard for the European eel, Anguilla anguilla. With the introduction of the new SEG Standard, version 8.0 in October 2026, and following 10 years of continuous development and improvement, SEG will move away from its previous pathway with ISEAL and adopt an accreditation structure based on ISO 17065.

This decision marks a new phase in the further professionalisation of the SEG Standard and is driven by one central objective: strengthening the practical protective impact of the standard for the European eel in a rapidly changing market and policy environment.

Discover the full story on our website:

https://www.sustainableeelgroup.org/the-sustainable-eel-group-chooses-a-new-direction-for-the-independent-recognition-of-the-seg-standard/

25/04/2026

Glass eel prices in Asia drop suddenly

In recent months, the market value of glass eels has declined sharply as production in China has expanded beyond current demand. The significant number of glass eels entering the supply chain over the past few seasons have now reached market size, contributing to oversupply and downward pressure on the price of wild eels as well as eel meat and processed eel products.

The adjustment reflects a broader pattern in which oversupply is followed by rapid correction, with limited coordination between production and demand. Past cycles suggest that as prices recover, constraints on key species may re-emerge, prompting substitution across species and renewed pressure on already strained stocks.

Discover the full story on our website:

https://www.sustainableeelgroup.org/glass-eel-prices-drop-suddenly-after-record-harvest-in-china/

22/04/2026

Eel trafficking linked to regional instability

The illegal trade in eels is becoming increasingly connected to organised crime, weak governance, and insecurity across the Caribbean. Recent developments in Haiti highlight how environmental pressures and criminal networks are reinforcing each other in complex and concerning ways.

SEG welcomes the recent deployment of a Gang Suppression Force to Port au Prince, but responding effectively will require more than enforcement alone. Stronger regional cooperation, improved governance, and sustainable management of fisheries resources all have a role to play in addressing both the trade and its wider consequences.

Discover the full story on our website:

https://www.sustainableeelgroup.org/coordinated-counter-trafficking-effort-begins-in-haiti/

30/03/2026

Arrests in Loire-Atlantique mark tougher action on illegal glass-eels fishing

The Sustainable Eel Group welcomes the arrest and prosecution of five fishers in Loire-Atlantique, highlighting a stronger judicial approach to illegal glass eel harvesting in western France. Following expedited proceedings at the Saint-Nazaire court, four defendants received fines and prison sentences, reflecting a growing willingness to treat such offences as serious environmental crime.

The case followed a months-long investigation undertaken by the French Office for Biodiversity, in collaboration with gendarmerie units in Saint-Nazaire and Nantes. A report in the French press indicates that the operation centred on the Brivet river, where concealed eel traps were identified; and that more than fifty gendarmes were brought in to support with the surveillance effort.

Discover the full story on our website:
https://www.sustainableeelgroup.org/five-arrested-for-illegal-eel-catches-in-french-surveillance-operation/

27/03/2026

Following the currents beneath a billion-dollar trade.

Earlier this week, the BBC’s 'Documentary Podcast' took listeners to remote locations such as Haiti and Kaliningrad, uncovering evidence of irregular and illegal eel trading. In the second podcast this week to focus on European eel, Dan Saladino picks up the same thread, speaking directly with Rob Wilson from from 'Billion Dollar Babies', and asking many of the same questions, but bringing sharper focus to the grey area between legal and illegal trade.

'The Food Podcast' predictably turns towards the “stop all fishing” debate, but rather than reinforcing a binary view, it adds nuance to arguments raised in a previous episode. Drawing on a range of perspectives, including SEG's, it reflects on the complexities behind the headlines and what they might mean for how the grey areas in the industry are understood and addressed in practice.

Listen to Billion Dollar Babies:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0n8bm38?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile

Listen to The Food Programme:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002t2kh?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile

Read our summary and analysis:
https://www.sustainableeelgroup.org/eels-feature-on-the-food-programme-for-a-second-time/

24/03/2026

Following the hidden currents of a billion-dollar trade.

In ‘Billion Dollar Babies’, the latest episode of the BBC's 'Documentary Podcast', Rob Wilson takes listeners deeper into the global eel trade, travelling around the world to hear from a range of different voices. Through rare access to a trafficking 'agent', the podcast reveals how this lucrative and often opaque market operates across borders, while in Europe and the Dominican Republic reports of strange and suspicious activity are recounted in key frontier zones.

Set against a backdrop of instability and shifting geopolitical alliances, the episode visits hard-to-reach locations, including Haiti, where one source strikingly compares the eel trade to the volatility of the stock market. Blending on-the-ground reporting with interviews and critical analysis, it offers a compelling look at the scale, risks, and unpredictable human dynamics behind one of the world’s most unusual and high-stakes wildlife trades.

Listen to the full podcast:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0n8bm38?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile

Watch the video podcast:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIoOXtFEuxc&feature=youtu.be

Read our summary and analysis:
https://www.sustainableeelgroup.org/new-podcast-on-bbc-sounds-considers-new-dimensions-of-the-illegal-eel-trade/

15/03/2026

Frantzian eta Espainian kontratrafiko-ekintza batek zortzi atxiloketa ekarri ditu

Aste honen hasieran, Frantzia hego-mendebaldean eta Espainia iparraldean burutu zen operazio transnazional handi batek zortzi pertsona atxilotu zituen, milioika izokin kume trafikatzeagatik susmatuta. Ikerketak erakutsi zuen araudia saihesteko diseinatutako sistema bat erabiltzen zutela, legez lortutako izokin transparenteko adibideak arrantza ilegal edo jakinarazi gabekoarekin nahastuz.

Operazioa Bayonneko Fiskaltzaren agindupean burutu zen Europol-en laguntzarekin eta Frantziako eta Espainiako agintaritza erakundeekin lankidetzan. Ekintza honek bi puntu garrantzitsu nabarmentzen ditu: sare kriminal antolatuak arau-hutsuneak ustiatzen jarraitzen dute, eta mugaz gaindiko lankidetza funtsezkoa da hutsune horiek ixteko.

Arrain Iraunkorraren Taldearentzat, kasu honek trazabilitate-sistema sendoen, ikerketa koordinatuen eta araudiaren aplikazio eraginkorraren garrantzia azpimarratzen du, izokin arrantza legezkoak babesteko eta kontserbazio-ahaleginak laguntzeko.

Irakurri txostena osorik gure webgunean:
https://www.sustainableeelgroup.org/counter-trafficking-operation-in-france-and-spain-results-in-eight-arrests/

15/03/2026

Operación contra el tráfico en Francia y España resulta en ocho arrestos

A principios de esta semana, una importante operación transfronteriza en el suroeste de Francia y el norte de España condujo a la detención de ocho personas sospechosas de traficar millones de juveniles de anguila. La investigación reveló un sistema diseñado para eludir la normativa, que consistía en mezclar angulas obtenidas legalmente con ejemplares capturados mediante pesca ilegal o no declarada.

La operación, dirigida por la Fiscalía de Bayona con el apoyo de Europol y la colaboración de agencias de control francesas y españolas, subraya dos puntos clave: las redes criminales organizadas continúan explotando vacíos legales y la cooperación transfronteriza es esencial para cerrarlos.

Para el Grupo de Anguila Sostenible, este caso pone de relieve la importancia de contar con sistemas de trazabilidad sólidos, investigaciones coordinadas y una aplicación efectiva de la normativa para proteger la pesca legítima de anguilas y apoyar los esfuerzos de conservación en curso.

Lea el informe completo en nuestro sitio web:
https://www.sustainableeelgroup.org/counter-trafficking-operation-in-france-and-spain-results-in-eight-arrests/

15/03/2026

Opération anti-trafic en France et en Espagne : huit arrestations

Plus tôt cette semaine, une importante opération transfrontalière dans le sud-ouest de la France et le nord de l’Espagne a conduit à l’arrestation de huit personnes soupçonnées de trafic de millions de juvéniles d’anguilles. L’enquête a révélé un système conçu pour contourner la réglementation, impliquant le mélange d’anguilles transparentes obtenues légalement avec des spécimens issus de la pêche illégale ou non déclarée.

L’opération, dirigée par le Procureur de la République de Bayonne avec le soutien d’Europol et la collaboration des agences de contrôle françaises et espagnoles, souligne deux points clés : les réseaux criminels organisés continuent d’exploiter les lacunes réglementaires, et la coopération transfrontalière est essentielle pour les combler.

Pour le Groupe pour l’Anguille Durable, cette affaire met en évidence le rôle crucial des systèmes de traçabilité efficaces, des enquêtes coordonnées et de l’application stricte de la réglementation pour protéger la pêche légitime d’anguilles et soutenir les efforts de conservation en cours.

Consultez le rapport complet sur notre site :
https://www.sustainableeelgroup.org/counter-trafficking-operation-in-france-and-spain-results-in-eight-arrests/

09/03/2026

Noizean behin, eztabaida publikoan berriro agertzen dira Europako aingira desagertzeko zorian dagoela edo naturan jada desagertuta dagoela iradokitzen duten baieztapenak.

Aingiraren ugaritasunaren epe luzeko beherakada ondo dokumentatuta eta oro har onartuta dagoen arren, halako baieztapenek sarritan nahastu egiten dute beherakadaren frogak eta desagerpen-arriskuaren ebaluazio formalak. Horrek nahasmena sor dezake eztabaida publikoan, batez ere irizpide zientifikoak —adibidez IUCNren Zerrenda Gorrian erabiltzen direnak— beren jatorrizko esanahitik desberdin interpretatzen direnean.

Azken iruzkinei erantzunez, Sustainable Eel Group-eko Willem Dekkerrek gutun bat prestatu du, Europako aingiraren desagerpen-arriskua literatur zientifikoan eta eztabaida publikoan nola aurkeztu den aztertuz. Gutunak azpimarratzen du garrantzitsua dela dokumentatutako beherakada eta berehalako desagerpenaren inguruko baieztapenak bereiztea, eta gogorarazten du kontserbazioaren erronka nagusia oraindik ere EBko Aingiraren Erregelamenduaren babes-neurrien ezarpen eraginkorra dela.

Irakurri gutun osoa:
https://www.sustainableeelgroup.org/statement-by-willem-dekker-on-claims-about-the-european-eels-extinction/

Sustainable Eel Group

16/05/2026

25/04/2026

22/04/2026

30/03/2026

27/03/2026

24/03/2026

15/03/2026

15/03/2026

15/03/2026

09/03/2026

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