Eel Trafficking Arrests in France – SEG Position 24-3-25
March 2025
SEG has been made aware via various media releases* of the arrest of five eel fishers on the west coast of France for the illegal export of eels towards Spain.
* for example:
Un vaste réseau de trafic de civelles démantelé en Vendée
In summary: on March 18, 2025, a judicial operation, mobilizing investigators from the OCLAESP (Central Office for the Fight against Environmental Attacks and Public Health), about forty environmental inspectors from the OFB as well as about forty gendarmes from the Vendée and Charente-Maritime gendarmerie groups, was launched in order to “to arrest individuals, and to search for fraudulent declarations of fishing in relation to quotas as well as in search of glass eels illegally stored in illegal fish tanks”.
SEG’s position on this:
- We applaud the French enforcement authorities for their continued efforts and vigilance to tackle this serious wildlife crime. Through their efforts, the level of trafficking in Europe has declined by about 80% over the last 8 years. However, the high financial rewards mean that some players are still tempted, so the enforcement authorities must continue their vigilance.
- SEG is seeking verification of the names of those arrested. If any are SEG certified then, due to their arrest, they will be immediately suspended from their SEG certification. If convicted, they will be ineligible for SEG certification for three years.