M-206B-4
Québec 2003 – Québec 2014: A Decade of Science on and Management of European Eel
In 2007, the European eel has been listed by CITES (Appendix II) and at the same time, the European Union adopted a Regulation “establishing measures for the recovery of the [eel] stock”. This ‘Eel Regulation’ sets objectives in terms of silver eel escapement. Much work has been done to assess/model silver eel escapement at basin level and to compare these models. Additional work is in progress to develop eel-specific biological reference points. This includes assessment at the population level of recruitment, spawner biomass and the relationship between them. The first reporting by EU Member States in 2012 enabled post-evaluation of management measures, for which a unique post-evaluation framework has been developed. The interaction between science and management is discussed, and suggestions for further developments are given.
[1] Dekker W., Casselman J.M., Cairns D.K., Tsukamoto K., Jellyman D., Lickers H. & many others 2003. Québec Declaration of Concern: worldwide decline of eel resources necessitates immediate action. Fisheries 28: 28–30.