Dr. Cathal Gallagher:

If I may, by way of background I will give a quick overview of the life cycle of eels, because it is very important. Members may be aware that eels migrate out to the Sargasso Sea as silver eels and make that big long journey of 1,500 km. International science still has not found exactly where they are spawning out there. However, as Dr. Ciaran Byrne described earlier, they return later en masseto the European shores as glass eels. When they arrive to fresh water, they change pigment and become what are called elvers. They then travel into our freshwater systems, both rivers and lakes, and some stay in estuaries. However, their life cycle is long in fresh water. On average in places, it is 18 years long and then they make their return path, turn silver again and the cycle continues. In other words, we are talking about a species that has a long life cycle and it is important in this context to understand that. It is also important that in poorer catchments, for example, in which there is not a lot of food available, sometimes they can be in the catchment for up to 30 years and longer. One is dealing with a species that has this length of a life cycle.
As for the status of the species, the latest advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, ICES, which offers international advice on this species right across Europe, is that the status of eels remains critical and urgent action is needed. ICES advises that anthropogenic mortality, which is man-made mortality from recreational and commercial fishing, as well as hydroelectric power - we have problems with hydroelectric power stations blocking access to waters - "affecting production and escapement of silver eels should be reduced to as close to zero as possible, until there is clear evidence of sustained increase in both recruitment and the adult stock". To give members an idea of stock levels across Europe, one could refer to a case in which the stock was pristine, that is, back in the 1980s. I am talking about when this problem started to occur and it took so long for it to be understood that this was happening. One is talking about populations that are somewhere between 1% and 5% of what they should be in some areas and between 5% and 10% in others. Were these other sea stocks or salmon stocks, we would be taking really severe action in respect of them. That is what the status of these stocks is like at present. There has been some improvement over the past couple of years in respect of the return of elvers. It is being suggested that there may be some improvement as to what is the level of those stocks at the moment. However, the best advice at present is that the stocks are only approximately 10% of what they should be in pristine status. That is the general picture in respect of the stocks.
As for the second part, which is how are we doing when compared to others, the actions for other countries are not something we are able to control and are outside our gift. A working group was set up in 2009 at the time when this issue was being discussed and recommendations were made then regarding the management of eels in the future. At that stage, a decision was made to take a number of management action regarding eels, one of which was the closure of both the commercial and recreational fishery in eels in Ireland. Another was to have mitigation in respect of the hydroelectric power aspect of this issue and to that degree, there has been a large trap and transport programme in which eels are being transferred physically across the hydroelectric stations in Ireland on the rivers Erne and Shannon, for example. Work has been done on examining water quality and improvement. There must be a nationwide eel monitoring programme and we also have been looking at what impassable barriers there are to eels. Other countries have reported back and there is an information group sitting in Europe to consider how the other eel management plans are performing. I can tell members that only 21% of 81 eel management units have reached their targets, while 42% are not reaching their targets and a further 22% of those eel management units did not report at all. Consequently, the situation is being monitored. From the commercial fishery perspective, I note we are on a three-year reporting cycle. This was reviewed in 2012, when there was a lot of public consultation and a lot of meeting with eel fishermen and all the stakeholders involved in this issue. This process is due to commence again for 2015. As part of that process, the latest scientific information will be reviewed and there will be an engagement with the stakeholders. It is not the case that anyone has stated these fisheries are closed forever or anything like that but the status of the stocks is very poor on the current scientific information.