Today, the Sustainable Eel Group issued an urgent open letter in The Telegraph, calling on the British Government to halt the export of European eels to Russia. The statement, signed by influential figures from conservation, politics, and the arts, seeks an immediate policy change to maintain protection levels of this endangered species
Some of the high-profile advocates who endorse the letter include renowned chef and television personality Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, who has long been championing more sustainable ways of eating; the Conservative peer Zac Goldsmith, one of the Johnson administration’s foremost advocates for environmentally responsible policies; and respected broadcaster and naturalist Chris Packham, best-known for presenting BBC Springwatch.
Their combined endorsement is emblematic of a broad and growing concern with the long-term prospects for the European eel, not only in Britain, but throughout its natural range. There are clear indications that this subject is not confined to niche conservation groups, but an issue of international concern, which requires the attention of a wider public, as well as the principal decision-makers.
At a time where the Department for the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs is considering whether to approve the export of up to fifteen million more eels, a five-fold increase from last year’s permit, the issue of scale is very much on the agenda. The significance of this trade is controversial at the international level, partly given the ongoing European Union sanctions on trade with Russia, but also on the basis it is a conservation issue that the UK is alone to authorise.
The signatories to the petition go further by suggesting that the trade does not support conservation efforts but rather undermines them; that the eel is being ‘restocked’ into the Vistula Lagoon so that it can be intensively harvested by fishermen; and that the projected number of fish returning to the Sargasso Sea is close to zero. Allowing this trade to escalate could undermine the unity and progress made by conservationists over the past fifteen years.
With the recovery of the European eel at stake, SEG believes that collective public pressure can influence the UK government to reconsider its stance. It urges readers to sign Richard Fleming’s petition to end the trade and prevent Britain from taking a unilateral non-conservation stance.
Read yesterday’s submission to The Telegraph