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21 June 2018. The Sustainable Eel Group (SEG) has published a new standard for best practice in the commercial eel sector. The standard is aimed at those businesses who wish to fish for and trade responsibly in the European eel

The European eel has declined dramatically in the past decades and there is also significant illegal trafficking of eels out of the EU to Asia. That is why good stewardship of the natural eel stock is needed.

Andrew Kerr, Chairman of the Sustainable Eel Group, says the publishing of the new standard is a major step towards a fully traceable and responsible eel product for consumers: “The SEG standard assists the recovery of the eel population, by enabling those trading responsibly in eel to show that they are contributing to the eel’s recovery. The new standard was developed over an 18 month review and consultation period. During that time comments by a wide range of organisations across Europe were considered. This way the new standard includes the best insights available in responsible eel management.”

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For more information, see this page on the SEG website or contact David Bunt on +44 7770 793900 or email at d.bunt@sustainableeelgroup.org

The new standard is published here.

A full list of comments received and how they were incorporated into the new standard is published here.

Note for current and future holders of the standard:

• The new standard, version 6.0, is valid from 21 June 2018.

• All new assessments and re-assessments from 21 June 2018 will be against this new version

• For existing holders of the standard, your current certificate and assessment remains valid. You will be re-assessed against the new standard at your next scheduled review