Spanish court imposes €7.2 million fine for eel trafficking
A Spanish court has imposed a sentence of 1.5 years imprisonment and €7.2 million fine for possession and marketing of a protected species on a smuggler attempting to traffic 65 kilogrammes of eel into Morocco. The Times UK reports that the quantum of the fine amounts to the value of the damage to the environment, as calculated by the regional agriculture ministry, and sets the world record for largest fine imposed for eel smuggling.
The live eels, packaged in plastic bags and hidden in suitcases, were discovered during a routine baggage check. They were seized and sent to the zoo of Castellar. However, it is reported that only 2 kg of eel survived.
The fine has been welcomed by activists. Andrew Kerr, the chairman of the Sustainable Eel Group, commented on the court’s decision, saying:-
“This is fantastic news, the size of the fine is a massive deterrent to would-be traffickers and a sign that law and enforcement agencies are finally recognising that this is the greatest wildlife crime on the planet for a living creature.”
Eel trafficking
Eels have been increasingly trafficked since 1980s, with the SCMP reporting that an estimated 300 million glass eels are trafficked from Europe to Asia each year. Due to high demand, decreasing population, and the fact that they “cannot be farmed in the same way as other migrating fish”, adult European eels reportedly sell for £7,000 per kilo on the black market. Hong Kong is one of the most common destinations in which shipments of eels are intercepted.
European eels are listed as critically endangered by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and listed in Appendix II of CITES – a multilateral treaty aiming to protect endangered plants and animals. Its status in Appendix II means that it is not presently threatened with extinction but may become so unless trade is controlled; strict national catch quotas are imposed. The European Union imposed a ban on all import and export of European eels to and from the EU in 2010.
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