Today we write to announce that delegates at the CITES Conference of the Parties in Samarkand have voted not to adopt Proposal 35, which sought a genus-wide Appendix II listing for anguillid species. Over the course of the week, the Sustainable Eel Group met with Parties, provided policy and scientific material, and contributed to discussions on identification challenges, stock trends, and the implications of fragmented regulation. Despite these efforts, the proposal did not reach the required majority.

Several delegations, including Japan, China, and South Korea, expressed concern about administrative feasibility, the uneven availability of data across regions, and the effects of new documentation requirements on exporting states. Others, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, indicated a preference for maintaining existing regional management approaches until further assessments are completed and policy reviews can be undertaken. Supporters of the measure, including the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Israel, underlined the issue of species substitution and mislabelling, attributing this to the persistent difficulty in distinguishing eels in trade. They discussed the implications this has for enforcement, noting that partial listings continue to create incentives for species substitution, but unfortunately the Parties were reluctant to implement the proposal as presented at the conference.

A more positive outcome from today came in the form of the Resolution, which passed with minor changes from the United States, China, and the United Kingdom. The more substantial changes proposed by Japan were rejected which means enforcement and reporting recommendations now extend beyond the European eel, or Anguilla anguilla. Whilst advisory, the Dominican Republic’s extension of Appendix III to the American eel, or Anguilla rostrata, and the reference to management of ‘other anguillid species’ introduces formal safeguards which represent a step in the right direction.

Following the vote, SEG noted that significant technical questions remain unresolved, particularly regarding the ability of customs agencies to differentiate between listed and unlisted species and the continued movement of eel products along shared supply chains. We indicated that we would continue to work with governments, regional bodies, and enforcement institutions to advance practical measures aimed at improving oversight and supporting recovery across anguillid populations. If SEG is successful at getting eel on the agenda for the Twenty-First Conference of the Parties, it will be sending a delegation to Panama to present a revised proposal.