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Further pressure on endangered eels
Illegal trade in European eels is most serious wildlife crime facing EU
Smuggling surge as European fishing season begins

Fishing for young European eels (Anguilla anguilla) – so-called ‘glass eels’ – is permitted in European waters at certain times of the year. The exact dates vary by country but usually run sometime between November and May the following year. Glass eels are then traded for farming, restocking or consumption within the European Union (EU).

Wildlife trade monitoring network, TRAFFIC, is warning of a surge in international glass eel smuggling cases and urges enforcement authorities to maintain their vigilance and ensure those catching eels are doing so legally.

The European eel is considered Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List and their international commercial trade to or from the EU was stopped in December 2010 after the EU concluded it was too risky to allow it to continue and imposed a zero-import/export policy, which still remains in place.

Despite these measures, according to Europol, during the 2018 to 2019 fishing season, some 5,789 kg of European eels illegally in trade were seized and 154 suspected smugglers arrested. The glass eels are taken to Asia where they are grown into adults for human consumption. Just last month, authorities in France seized 90kg of glass eels at Paris-Charles De Gaulle airport en route from south-west France to China.

Illegal trade in European Eels, particularly glass eels, is the most serious wildlife crime issue the EU currently faces. Hiromi Shiraishi, TRAFFIC’s eel trade expert, says: “Traffickers exploited the last fishing season as an opportunity to smuggle glass eels to lucrative Asian markets … European eel populations simply cannot withstand the sustained illegal offtake.”

Illegal trade in eel meat is also a concern. Following the illegal export of glass eels to Asia and their growing out in farms, European eel meat could be imported into the EU and other markets, falsely declared as other species of eel.

At the 18th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES last August, European eel range states were asked to develop and implement measures to improve the traceability of eels in trade. “The development of a harmonised European-wide traceability system for European eel is a prerequisite to ensuring eel trade is kept on the straight and narrow,” said Shiraishi.

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

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News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.