The Sustainable Eel Group (SEG) has today released its 2023 Annual Report, providing an overview of the organisation’s achievements over the past year and insights into ongoing efforts to restore the critically endangered European eel population. Published ahead of the Annual General Meeting scheduled for tomorrow, the report marks a significant milestone in SEG’s fifteen-year history, highlighting the progress made in policy, research, and community engagement at the European level.

Throughout 2023, SEG solidified its role as a leader in anguillid eel conservation, playing a pivotal role in shaping European policy. The adoption of the Ruissen Report by the European Parliament underscored SEG’s influence in promoting the responsible and ethical management of the glass eel stock. This achievement, alongside the publication of the 2024 European Union whitepaper on eel regulation, signals a stronger, coordinated effort to protect the European eel across the continent.

A central focus of the report is the ongoing battle against illegal eel trafficking, which, despite SEG’s best efforts, remains a significant threat to the species. In 2023, a record number of 256 arrests were made in connection with eel trafficking, marking a major success in curbing illegal activities. SEG’s rigorous standards have been instrumental in closing the grey area between legitimate and illegal trade, enabling authorities to target and dismantle trafficking networks more efficiently and effectively.

The report also throws light on SEG’s efforts to connect communities across Europe with the international eel conservation movement. The Somerset Eel Recovery Project (SERP) has emerged as a model for expanding reach at the local level, directly involving communities in the process of data collection using eDNA, in environmental education, and in lobbying efforts. Further, the expansion of the ‘Eels in the Classroom’ programme to fifty-nine schools has inspired a new generation of conservationists, helping to raise awareness about the eel’s status and the need for habitat restoration.

Another significant achievement outlined in the report is SEG’s contribution to habitat restoration efforts: as part of the EU’s ongoing Swimways Project, SEG continues to advocate for the restoration of rivers and wetlands, which are vital to the long-term recovery of migratory fish populations. The project aims to restore 25,000 kilometres of aquatic habitat by 2030, a goal that SEG is committed to achieving.

The 2023 Annual Report is now available to the public and will form the basis of the Chairman’s address at the upcoming Annual General Meeting, which will take place on 12 September via Zoom.