Latest news with #eel
Japan Times
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Japan Times
EU proposes eel trade restriction despite opposition from Japan
The European Union on Friday proposed making all eel species, including the Japanese eel, subject to regulation under an international treaty to protect endangered species — a move that Japan opposes. The EU, along with the Dominican Republic, Panama and Honduras, submitted the proposal to the secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES. The proposal is aimed at putting fry, full-grown eels and processed eel products of all 18 species under regulation. CITES, also known as the Washington convention, lists animals and plants requiring protection in annexes on three levels depending on the degree of regulation. The EU and others seek to add all eel species to the second level. The proposal will be discussed among parties to the pact at a conference in Uzbekistan from November to December. If the proposal is approved, exporters will be obliged to issue permits based on scientific assessments, putting eels and processed products under stricter trade control. Japan, where eels are prized food, opposes the proposal. "There is no risk of eels becoming extinct due to international trade," a fisheries agency official has said. On Friday, agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi voiced deep regret over the situation, adding that his country will do everything it can to block the adoption of the proposal in cooperation with China and South Korea.
Asharq Al-Awsat
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Eel-eating Japan Opposes EU Call for More Protection
Japan's agriculture minister said Friday the country would oppose any call by the European Union to add eels to an endangered species list that would limit trade in them. Eel is eaten worldwide but is particularly popular in Japan, where it is called "unagi" and traditionally served grilled after being covered in a sticky-sweet sauce. Minister Shinjiro Koizumi told reporters that the country carefully manages stock levels of the Japanese eel in cooperation with neighboring China, Taiwan and South Korea. "There is a sufficient population, and it faces no extinction risk due to international trade," AFP quoted him as saying. Japanese media have reported that the EU could soon propose that all eel species be added to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) which limits trade of protected animals. There are 19 species and subspecies of eel, many of them now threatened due to a range of factors including pollution and overfishing. In 2014, the Japanese eel was listed as endangered, but not critically endangered, by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which cited factors including habitat loss, overfishing, pollution and migration barriers. Protecting the animal is complicated by their complex life cycle, which unfolds over a vast area, and the many unknowns about how they reproduce.
NHK
12 hours ago
- Business
- NHK
EU proposes international trade regulations on all eel species
The European Union has proposed making all eel species, including the Japanese eel, subject to trade regulations under an international convention. The EU and other countries, including the Dominican Republic, submitted the proposal on Friday to the secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. The convention regulates international trade in endangered species. The EU calls for all non-listed eel species to be subject to trade controls under the pact. Parties to the convention will discuss the proposal at a meeting in Uzbekistan starting in November. If they approve the proposal, international trade in the eel species will come under the regulations, which require exporting countries to issue permits. A series of moves have been made to strengthen protection of eels. Parties to the convention made the European eel subject to the regulations in 2009. In 2016, they adopted a proposal by the EU to conduct a study of the global eel trade. The EU cited a lack of transparency in such trade.
Japan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Japan Times
Farm minister Koizumi opposes EU call for more protection for eels
Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Friday the country would oppose any call by the European Union to add eels to an endangered species list that would limit trade. Eel is eaten worldwide but is particularly popular in Japan, where it is traditionally served grilled after being covered in a sticky-sweet sauce. Koizumi told reporters that the country carefully manages stock levels of the Japanese eel in cooperation with neighboring China, Taiwan and South Korea. "There is a sufficient population, and it faces no extinction risk due to international trade," he said. Japanese media have reported that the EU could soon propose that all eel species be added to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which limits trade of protected animals. There are 19 species and subspecies of eel, many of them now threatened due to a range of factors including pollution and overfishing. In 2014, the Japanese eel was listed as endangered, but not critically endangered, by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which cited factors including habitat loss, overfishing, pollution and migration barriers. Protecting the animal is complicated by their complex life cycle, which unfolds over a vast area, and the many unknowns about how they reproduce.
NHK
a day ago
- Business
- NHK
Japan to ask other nations to oppose EU plan to regulate eel trade
Agriculture Minister Koizumi Shinjiro says Japan will urge other countries to jointly oppose the European Union's planned proposal to regulate international trade in eel species. Koizumi told reporters on Friday that the EU has decided to propose making all species of the fish -- including Japanese and American eel -- subject to regulations under the Washington Convention. The EU is set to table the proposal when parties to the convention, which regulates trade in endangered species, meet in November. European eel is already subject to trade controls under the pact. Grilled eel is a popular dish in Japan, especially to build up stamina during the hot summer months. The Fisheries Agency says the country relies on imports for about 70 percent of eel consumption. It says if trade in Japanese eel is regulated, imports would stall and prices could surge. Koizumi said stocks of Japanese eel are properly managed by Japan, China, South Korea and Taiwan. He said the species is not at risk of becoming extinct through international trade, as there is a sufficient amount of stocks. Koizumi called the EU's decision "extremely regrettable."
