What does a CITES listing mean for the American Eel?

Oceans North | November 20, 2025

The Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) are meeting from November 24 to December 5 this year in Uzbekistan. At this meeting, countries (including Canada) will vote on whether the American eel (Anguilla rostrata) should be listed under Appendix II of CITES. Why is this necessary and what does this mean for the Canadian fishery?

When you think of wildlife crime, eels probably aren’t the first animals that come to mind. However, the illegal and unregulated trade of these animals has become a multibillion-dollar industry and is threatening populations of eel species around the world.

Because of this, countries will soon consider a proposal that would help protect eels by creating rules to regulate the trade of the American eel (Anguilla rostrata) and Japanese eel (Anguilla japonica), as well as all other anguillid species. This would be good news not only for eels, but also for legal harvesters, who would benefit from both a more sustainable fishery and less competition from illegal fishing.

How could this proposal become a reality and what would it mean for Canadian eel fisheries?

Later this November, countries are convening in Uzbekistan at CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora), a global body that regulates international trade in animals and plants. Species protected by CITES are added to listings called Appendices, which provide global rules for how that plant or animal can be imported, exported, and re-exported.

The parties are considering adding Japanese and American eels alongside other anguillids to CITES Appendix II, a category which includes species that are not currently threatened with extinction but are at risk without trade regulation. (European eel—a species facing similar challenges and very difficult to distinguish from the others—is already listed under Appendix II.)

This would require people trading in these species to acquire an export permit or re-export certificate, which can only be issued by their country’s management authority if the species was legally obtained and the export won’t jeopardize its survival. Of all the species in the Anguilla family, A. rostrata—which is found along the Atlantic coasts of North and South America, in waters from Greenland and Iceland to Venezuela—is the most traded and consumed worldwide. American eels also play a vital role in the ecosystem, as well as to Indigenous communities across their range.

Those sponsoring A. rostrata for the CITES listing—Panama, as well as the European Union and its 27 member States, including territories in the Caribbean—cite the species’ decreasing population as a key concern.

Image – This is an American eel (Anguilla rostrata). However, many eel species look alike, which has made it difficult for customs officers to flag illegal species crossing international borders.

Here in Canada and abroad, stock assessments support this claim. In 2012, following a drastic 50-year distribution decline, Canada’s Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife (COSEWIC) labelled the local American eel population as threatened. Eight years later, in 2020, assessments by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) found these eels to be “Endangered.” More recently, the American eel stock in the United States has been recognized as “depleted,” too.

Despite these findings, which have led to concerns regarding the sustainability of American eel harvesting and cross-border trade, there is currently no international agreement responsible for the conservation and management of the species.

Another reason to list American, Japanese and other anguillid eels under Appendix II is the so-called “look-alike” provision. With no distinguishing traits to tell them apart, especially as juveniles or in their processed form, it’s difficult for those inspecting trade to identify a CITES-listed species—such as the European eel, which has been listed since 2009—from an unlisted one, like the Japanese eel. Registering the American eel under CITES’ “look-alike species” provision would subject all eel types of this genus to similar requirements, closing major loopholes in trade regulation enforcement.

For fisheries, a listing under CITES Appendix II doesn’t mean shutting down operations. If the vote passes in Uzbekistan, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, as the country’s scientific authority, would issue a non-detriment finding, or an NDF. This policy, which allows for the trade of Appendix II-listed species, already exists for animals like the Atlantic sturgeon and is based on factors like the biology, conservation status, trade levels, and harvest management of the species.

Currently in Canada, a license is needed to possess and export juvenile eels, called elvers. However, these rules don’t apply to the rest of the international community. Adding American eels to Appendix II will subject other countries to the same laws and regulations, ensuring fairness and sustainable trade across borders.

It’s important to note that CITES differs from other domestic policies related to the protection of endangered animals, like the Species At Risk Act, or SARA. Notably, most fisheries and harvesters are required to log encounters with SARA-listed species and are prohibited from intentionally catching listed species, which is not the case for those on CITES Appendix II listings.

If listed, the requirements would not come into effect for 18 months, allowing Canada enough time to issue the NDF and appropriate permits. The outcome is worth the wait. As a respected seafood producer, Canada’s support of a CITES listing for eels would mean meeting a high international standard of management and traceability. This would reduce illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and create a level regulatory playing field, all while demonstrating our fisheries’ leadership in quality and sustainability, at home in Canada and worldwide.