The European eel population is on the brink of collapse, with as much as 99 percent of new eels disappearing in Swedish waters. The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) has been recommending for three years that all fishing of eels in all life stages should cease. Sweden has had a management plan for the eel for fifteen years, but it seems to have had little impact on the declining population.
Recreational eel fishing has been prohibited since 2007, and in 2012, all fishing on the west coast was closed. However, fishermen on the east coast received exemptions and special permits, leading to a steady decline in the number of people allowed to fish for eels in Sweden. The government has now commissioned the Norwegian Sea and Water Authority to investigate whether the licenses should be transferable and used by future generations, a move that has sparked controversy.
Emma Nohrén, chairman of the environment and agriculture committee, expressed concern over the potential change in strategy, emphasizing the importance of taking all measures available to preserve the endangered species. Henrik Svedäng, a docent in marine ecology, criticized the government for not taking measures to preserve biodiversity and for using the endangered species as a means to show care for the environment.
The management plan adopted in 2008 states that it will take 80 years for the eel stock to recover, and any human impact will push that progress into the future. Despite the measures taken so far, the eel population is still historically low, and the eel is considered an acutely threatened species.
The alarms and warnings about the declining eel population have been ongoing for years, with ICES recommending that all human impact on eels should be minimized as early as 2000. The fact that Sweden is now seeking to investigate whether more eels can be fished does not send good signals to the EU.
The future of eel fishing in Sweden remains uncertain, as the government’s decision to investigate the transferability of fishing permits raises concerns about the long-term survival of the European eel population.