American eel still not endangered, association argues

Prompted by a petition courtesy of the Council for Endangered Species Act reliability (CESAR) the U.S. government will revisit the motion to list American eel as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) this month.

Leading up to the consideration, the American Eel Sustainability Association (AESA) is once more reiterating its stance on the matter – that this class of eel does not require either a “threatened” or “endangered” listing. The association argues that existing scientific evidence demonstrates that American eel has been and is being sustainably harvested, and is not under threat. Moreover, the petition put forth by CESAR does “not consider the current, responsible management structures in place for American eel, and ignores previous rulings on the issue that further verify the species’ health,” AESA said.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has conducted a comprehensive review of American eel stocks in years past, AESA noted; in 2007, FWS concluded that American eels were not endangered, stating in its report: “the species’ overall population is not in danger of extinction or likely to become so in the foreseeable future.” According to the association, no significant increase in fishing pressure has been exerted upon the American eel fishery since 2007.

“In tandem with other effort restrictions and controls against illegal fishing, existing regulations ensure that eel quotas are not exceeded and the species is not overharvested. The fishery finished under its quota for the 2015 fishing year, indicating that overfishing is not currently a problem in the eel fishery,” AESA said.

“AESA is committed to a sustainable future for American eel, and is an advocate for responsible management, strong law enforcement, reliable science, and other initiatives that strengthen the health of the species. An ESA listing for eels is not necessary,” the association concluded.

CESAR has petitioned FWS and the National Marine Fisheries Service to have the American eel listed as threatened, claiming that the eel population is “in steep decline across its range.” Loss of habitat, overutilization, disease and inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms were all cited by CESAR in its petition. Read the petition in full here: http://www.bestscience.org/american-eel.html

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