Denmark has made some of the most significant contributions to research on eel biology and fisheries management. From the early twentieth century, when Johannes Schmidt first mooted the idea that the eel returns to the Sargasso Sea to spawn, to the writings of Inge and Jan Boetus which have informed recent reproductive studies, scientists have been actively monitoring Anguilla anguilla and determining its place in freshwater and marine ecosystems. But the impact of the eel on Danish life extends for some distance beyond the laboratory.
‘Almost everyone in Denmark, no matter their age, has something to say about eels’, reads the first line in a recent study of eels in culture, fisheries, and science. European eel was once among the country’s most popular food fish and Denmark was one of the principal nations fishing for it, given its geographical position at the gateway to the Baltic. It was consumed as snack in pubs up and down the Jutland peninsula; it was baked into eel cakes; and it is still commonly smoked and served with rye bread and schnapps. Speaking idiomatically, or heeding superstition, many Danes still refer to the eel as they go about their everyday lives.
If a fisherman bit off the head of the first live eel he landed, he would then become ‘King of Eels’ and the fish would always seek him. If a mother took measures to cover a cradle with eel skin, folk tradition had it that the child could not be bewitched. It holds that a Catholic priest who breaks the vow of celibacy will turn into an eel after death, destined for consumption for his more modest, protestant countrymen as they seek a simple staple at times of need.
Last week, the Sustainable Eel Group attended an Eel Conference in Middelfart on the island of Funen, hosted by the Danish Fishing Association, or Danmarks Fiskeriforening. Several interesting studies were presented and the discussion inevitably drifted towards the future of the country’s modest eel fishery in a time of unprecedented climactic and ecological change. There were questions about whether there was a place for yellow and silver eel fishing in Scandanavia’s increasingly polarised conservation landscape, torn between anti-fishing campaigners on the one hand and proponents of ‘business as usual’ on the other. Fishers and fish processors, scientists and wildlife conservationists, and representatives from the Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food were all invited to have their say and a rich and thought-provoking dialogue ensued.
Among the speakers was the scientist Dr. Willem Dekker, a leading voice on eel who has helped shape SEG’s science agenda. During his presentation, he walked the audience through his recommendations for enhancing the impact and improving the implementation of the European Union’s Eel Regulation. ‘Tri-annual reporting is evaluated’, he said, ‘but feedback is missing’. ‘Decisions are taken in Brussels, not the member states; stakeholders are less and less involved; and fisheries policies are more and more erratic’. The SEG stance is that there is a need for reform in the implementation process, for the benefit of all EU countries, including Denmark. The fishing closures of the Council are neither based on scientific advice nor monitored, evaluated, or pre-evaluated, and more comprehensive, case-by-case research is sorely needed. By returning responsibilities to the member states as intended but nevertheless ensuring everyone abides by the same stringent standards, there is the potential for rebuilding the broken relationship between communities and traditional eel fishing practices, ensuring the eel maintains continuous cultural presence in the years, decades and centuries to come.
One subject discussed at the forum was the recent designation of the Swedish Eel Coast as a site of intangible cultural heritage. This formal designation, informed by social rather than economic or environmental conservations, has ensured the continuation of traditional eel fishing methods in the region as conservation fishing. In other words, it has ensured techniques and cultural traditions survive, even if the industry remains small and artisanal in nature, by involving local people in monitoring, restocking, and evaluation efforts. The objective provided by UNESCO and its partners has been neatly summarised by Danish commentators:
The preservation of the eel fishing traditions is threatened. It is established that the rights of local, small scale and coastal eel fishermen must be guaranteed, thus enabling culture to become part of the regional economy, e.g. through tourism and conservation.
There have been calls for similar strategies in Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom. The Somerset Eel Recovery Project has taken an important first step for Britain on the road towards culturally attuned, regionally specific fisheries management. Moving forward, the Sustainable Eel Group remains committed to extending its cultural engagement with eel cultures across Europe. Denmark is a distinctive case and presents exciting exploratory opportunities for the group as it continues to develop its conservation agenda.
Important sources
‘Eels in Culture, Fisheries and Science in Denmark’, Eels and Humans
‘Eel Coast Cultural Heritage’, Safeguarding Practices
‘Eel Coast Cultural Heritage’, UNESCO
‘Eel fisheries and cultural heritage in north west Denmark’, White Horse Press