The Eel is Soon Going to be Extinct in France

Future generations in France may have to travel to the United Kingdom or to other European countries if they want to see what an eel is. While other European countries have been trying to figure out a way to let eel populations recover, France has refused to accept a complete ban on the export of glass eels.

Glass eels are smooth, slimy and translucent. They are born in very large numbers in the Sargasso Sea and later travel to European estuaries to mature into adults. The population of this eel has declined by more than ninety percent over the last 20 years because there is a huge demand from china for glass eels. So high is the demand that a kilo of eels is priced at more than 1000 Euros. Although the EU’S Scientific Review group had recommended a complete ban on the export of glass eels this winter, France refused to sign the agreement banning exports because it is a major exporter of glass eels. Fishermen in France threatened to go on strike if this agreement was signed.

Other European nations feel that France is being unfair to them because glass eels are a collective resource. Wish we could build walls in oceans; maybe then, the other European nations could stop eels swimming into French waters!

Via: Independent