EU mulls imposing trade restrictions on all eels under int'l treaty

The Mainichi

25-04-2025

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The European Union is preparing a proposal to impose export restrictions on all eel species under an international agreement regulating trade in endangered species, EU sources said Wednesday -- a move that could affect supplies to Japan, which has relied heavily on imports.
The proposal, if approved at the conference of the parties to the Washington Convention to be held in Uzbekistan later this year, would place Japanese eel for consumption, among other species, on the list requiring an export permit issued by the exporting country, the sources said.
The European eel has already been subject to such restrictions following an EU proposal to list the endangered species under Appendix II of the convention approved in 2007.
At the time, the EU argued that the mass harvesting of juvenile eels and their subsequent export to Japan via aquaculture facilities in countries such as China was contributing to population decline.
The ongoing smuggling of European eels appears to have led the bloc to conclude that including visually similar species is necessary for effective enforcement. It also argues that the proposal would help normalize trade in Japanese and American eels, which has faced criticism over opaque practices.
Under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, species listed in Appendix I are prohibited from international trade for commercial purposes in principle, while those in Appendix II are deemed as species that could become endangered if trade is not strictly regulated.
The EU is seeking to list all 19 eel species and subspecies in Appendix II, including the Japanese eel, American eel and Southeast Asia's Anguilla bicolor. The regulations would apply not only to live juvenile glass eels but also to processed products such as "kabayaki" grilled eel.
The EU is likely to decide by early June whether to submit the proposal, according to the sources. Approval requires a two-thirds majority of countries casting a vote, but the current level of support remains unclear.
Japan's Fisheries Agency is lobbying the EU to forgo the proposal and plans to oppose it if submitted.