Japan's favourite delicacy is in the crosshairs of conservationists

From Monday, the fate of eels will be discussed at a key meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Uzbekistan, Phys.org writes.

The European Union, Panama and Honduras are proposing to list all 17 eel species on Appendix II of CITES, which would imply increased controls and a permit system for international trade.

Japan opposes the move. The country consumes the lion's share of the world's catch: up to 85% of global eel consumption comes from East Asia, with Japan importing nearly three-quarters of the 61,000 tonnes of eel eaten in the region last year.

Eel in Japan is a special status dish. That doesn't cancel out the rising prices: a classic set of unaju - eel on rice in a lacquered box - now costs about 5,250 yen (about $34), more than double what it cost 15 years ago.

That said, almost all the eel on the Japanese market is farmed. But aquaculture depends entirely on catching so-called glass eels, tiny transparent larvae that are collected from river mouths. Eels are still unable to reproduce in captivity. Japan's catch of glass eels has fallen to less than 10 per cent of its 1960s level.

The life cycle of the Japanese eel remains largely mysterious. The fish breed in an area west of the Mariana Islands, 2,000-3,000 kilometres off the coast of Japan. The larvae develop into glass eels as they approach the shore, then live in freshwater for 5-15 years before heading back to the ocean to spawn.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies the Japanese and American eels as vulnerable species, while the European eel is considered endangered. Scientists attribute the decline in populations to river pollution, destruction of wetlands, construction of hydroelectric power plants, overfishing and disruption of migration routes.

If the proposal to add eels to CITES Appendix II is approved, trade in them will be more strictly controlled and require export permits from the supplying countries. This is a serious concern for Japanese producers.

Japanese authorities insist they have already taken action: catch quotas and a farm permit system are in place. Officials cite a study by the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, according to which the number of Japanese eels in East Asia has tripled since 1990. A UN FAO expert panel report this year also said the risk of total extinction of Japanese and American eels is considered "low."

However, not everyone agrees with this optimism. Andrew Kerr, head of the Sustainable Eel Group, is convinced that official statistics do not take into account the scale of the illegal trade, which he calls "the biggest wildlife crime" in the world. According to him, different species of eels are similar in appearance, which is what smugglers take advantage of by disguising one species as another.

The European Union banned the export of European eels back in 2010, but Europol estimates that about 100 tonnes of glass eels are still smuggled to Asia each year. As these chains have broken down, shipments from the Caribbean have been increasing in recent years, creating a risk of population collapse already there.

"It's not just about the immediate threat of extinction," Kerr emphasises. - It's important to understand how to build global rules of the game in the eel market. It's a global system, and it needs order.