Global Eel Trade Faces Potential Restrictions, Threatening Japan's Supply

According to a document released on October 16, 2025, the secretariat of an international treaty regulating trade of endangered species has recommended adopting a proposal to impose export restrictions on all eel species. This proposal, submitted by the European Union and others, is set to be discussed at the upcoming conference of the parties to the Washington Convention in November and December 2025.

If the proposal is accepted, a document such as an export permit, issued by the exporting country, will be required for eels to be traded internationally. This could lead to a surge in eel prices in Japan, one of the world's largest eel consumers. Sources close to the matter indicate that Japan, along with its regional partners China and South Korea, aims to reject the proposal.

Japan has insisted that it has sufficient resources of Japanese eels with no risk of extinction due to international trade. However, the convention's secretariat has pointed out that trafficking of European eels, disguised as Japanese or American eels, has been occurring, stating that listing all eel species in Appendix II will reduce the illegal trade.

Eel supply in Japan totaled 57,099 tons in 2023, with imports accounting for more than half at 38,750 tons, followed by domestic aquafarming at 18,294 tons. The All Japan Association for Sustainable Eel Aquaculture has noted that eels have been consumed in Japan for over 5,000 years, with their bones having been discovered in ancient shell mounds.