Abstract
The stocks of the European eel Anguilla anguilla are in decline and there is an increasing awareness that poor health status due to contaminants and/or diseases might be a key element in this decline and might be a hindrance to recovery. Many countries have started compiling data on the health status of eels in their water bodies. Objectives for these monitoring actions are diverse and there is a large amount of information collected by EU member countries. However, this information is widely scattered over Europe in agencies, institutes or universities. As there is a growing need to collect and report on data on the health status of the eel on international level, the Joint EIFAC/ICES Working Group on Eels initiated in September 2007 the set up of an European Eel Quality Database to collect recent data of contaminants and diseases over the distribution area of the eel. This paper describes the aim, the set up and future development of the database in order to give it greater publicity and to call on scientists or managers to submit data on eel health status. The database represents now the first comprehensive pan-European compilation of eel health data, including data from over 10,000 eels from approximately 1,200 sites over 14 countries. Preliminary work has indicated a number of shortcomings and future developments will be needed. Guaranteeing further development of the database, harmonisation of methods, quality assurance, and setting up harmonised eel monitoring strategies over Europe will be a great challenge and will need pan-European cooperative work.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
AFSSA (2009). Appui scientifique et technique de l’Agence française de sécurité sanitaire des aliments relatif à l’interprétation des données du plan national PCB 2008 dans les poissons de rivière et à la proposition du plan d’échantillonnage 2009. Afssa saisine n° 2009-SA-0118. http://www.pollutions.eaufrance.fr/pcb/doc/AvisASTechantillonnage0809.pdf.
Belpaire, C., & Goemans, G. (2007a). Eels: Contaminant cocktails pinpointing environmental pollution. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64(7), 1423–1436.
Belpaire, C., & Goemans, G. (2007b). The European eel Anguilla anguilla, a rapporteur of the chemical status for the Water Framework Directive? Vie et Milieu—Life and Environment, 57(4), 235–252.
Belpaire, C. (2008). Pollution in eel. A reason for their decline? Ph.D. thesis Catholic University of Leuven, INBO.M.2008.2. Instituut voor Natuur- en Bosonderzoek, Brussels, 459 pages, III annexes.
Belpaire, C., Goemans, G., Geeraerts, C., Quataert, P., & Parmentier, K. (2008). Pollution fingerprints in eels as models for the chemical status of rivers. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 65, 1483–1491.
Belpaire, C., Goemans, G., Geeraerts, C., Quataert, P., Parmentier, K., Hagel, P., & De Boer, J. (2009). Decreasing eel stocks: The survival of the fattest? Ecology of Freshwater Fish, 18, 197–214.
Belpaire, C., Geeraerts, C., Roosens, L., Neels, H., & Covaci, A. (2011). What can we learn from monitoring PCBs in the European eel? A Belgian experience. Environment International, 37, 354–364. doi:10.1016/j.envint.2010.10.006.
Bilau, M., Sioen, I., Matthys, C., De Vocht, A., Goemans, G., Belpaire, C., Willems, J. L., & De Henauw, S. (2007). Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) exposure through eel consumption in recreational fishermen as compared to the general population, using a probabilistic approach. Food Additives and Contaminants, 24(12), 1386–1393.
Böetius, I., & Böetius, J. (1980). Experimental maturation of female silver eels, Anguilla anguilla. Estimates of fecundity and energy reserves for migration and spawning. Dana, 1, 1–28.
Boscher, A., Gobert, S., Guignard, C., Ziebel, J., L’Hoste, L., Gutled, A. C. et al. (2007). Chemical contaminants in fish species from rivers in the North of Luxembourg: potential impact on the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra). Chemosphere, 78, 785–972.
Bruslé, J. (1991). The eel (Anguilla sp) and organic chemical pollutants. The Science of the Total Environment, 102, 1–19.
Costa-Dias, S., Dias, E., Lobón-Cerviá, J., Antunes, C., & Coimbra, J. (2010). Infection by Anguillicoloides crassus in a riverine stock of European eel, Anguilla anguilla. Fisheries Management and Ecology, 2010, 485–492.
de Boer, J., & Hagel, P. (1994). Spatial differences and temporal trends of chlorobiphenyls in yellow eel (Anguilla anguilla) from inland waters of The Netherlands. The Science of the Total Environment, 141(1/3), 155–174.
Eaufrance (2010). Site des données du plan national d’actions sur les PCB. http://www.pollutions.eaufrance.fr/pcb/ Accessed September 2010.
Esteve, C., & Alcaide, E. (2009). Influence of diseases on the wild eel stock: The case of lake Albufera. Aquaculture, 289, 143–149.
European Commission (1986). Council Directive 86/363/EEC of 24 July 1986 on the fixing of maximum levels for pesticide residues in and on foodstuffs of animal origin. Official Journal of the European Union, L221, 43–47.
European Commission (2001). Commission Regulation (EC) No. 466/2001 of 8 March 2001 setting maximum levels for certain contaminants in foodstuffs. Official Journal of the European Union, L70, 1–13.
European Commission (2002). Commission Directive 2002/69/EC of 26 July 2002 laying down the sampling methods and the methods of analysis for the official control of dioxins and the determination of dioxin-like PCBs in foodstuffs. Official Journal of the European Commission, 06.08.2002 L209, 5–14.
European Commission (2005). Commission Regulation (EC) No. 396/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 February 2005 on maximum residue levels of pesticides in or on food and feed of plant and animal origin and amending Council Directive 91/414/EEC. Official Journal of the European Union, L70, 1–16.
European Commission (2006). Commission Regulation (EC) 199/2006 of 3 February 2006 amending Regulation (EC) No 466/2001 setting maximum levels for certain contaminants in foodstuffs as regards dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs. Official Journal of the European Commission, 04.02.2006 L32, 34–38.
European Commission (2007). Council Regulation (EC) No 1100/2007 of 18 September 2007 establishing measures for the recovery of the stock of European eel. Official Journal of the European Union, 22.9.2007 L248, 17–23.
European Commission (2008). Directive 2008/105/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on environmental quality standards in the field of water policy, amending and subsequently repealing Council Directives 82/176/EEC, 83/513/EEC, 84/156/EEC, 84/491/EEC, 86/280/EEC and amending Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council. Official Journal of the European Union, 24.12.2008 L348, 84–97.
Fernandes, A. R., Mortimer, D. N., Rose, M., Knowles, T. G., White, S., & Gem, M. (2009). Occurrence of dioxins (PCDDs, PCDFs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in wild, farmed and processed fish, and shellfish. Food Additives and Contaminants B, 2, 15–20.
Ferrante, M. C., Clausi, M. T., Meli, R., Fusco, G., Naccari, C., & Lucisano, A. (2010). Polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine pesticides in European eel (Anguilla anguilla) from the Garigliano River (Campania region, Italy). Chemosphere, 78, 709–716.
Fladung, E., Simon, J., & Wolf, P. (2009). Erfassung, Bewertung und Maßnahmen zur Verbesserung der Bestandssituation des Aals im Brandenburger Einzugsgebiet der Elbe und Oder/Ücker. Report of the Institute of Inland Fisheries, Potsdam-Sacrow, p. 63.
Geeraerts, G., & Belpaire, C. (2010). A review of the effects of contaminants on European eel. Ecotoxicology, 19, 239–266.
Haenen, O. L. M., Lehmann, J., Engelsma, M. Y., Stürenberg, F. J., Roozenburg, I., Kerkhoff, S., & Breteler, J. K. (2010). The health status of European silver eels, Anguilla anguilla, in the Dutch River Rhine Watershed and Lake IJsselmeer. Aquaculture, 309, 15–24.
ICES (2006). Report of the Working Group on Marine Chemistry (MCWG), 27–31 March 2006, ICES Headquarters, Copenhagen. Computer Management. p. 36. Available from http://www.ices.dk/reports/MHC/2006/MCWG06.pdf.
Jakob, E., Hanel, R., Klimpel, S., & Zumholz, K. (2009). Salinity dependence of parasite infestation in the European eel Anguilla anguilla in northern Germany. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 66, 358–366.
Jürgens, M., Johnson, A., Chaemfa, C., Jones, K., & Hughes, D. (2009). The organic chemical contamination of eels in the lower Thames in 2007. A report by CEH prepared for Darryl Clifton-Dey of the Environment Agency for England and Wales, Thames Region, United Kingdom, p. 19.
Kelly, F. L., Connor, L., Wightman, G., Matson, R. Morrissey, E., O’Callaghan, R. et al. (2009). Sampling fish for the Water Framework Directive—Summary Report 2008. Central and Regional Fisheries Boards report, Swords, p. 163.
Kelly, F. L., Harrison, A. J., Connor, L., Matson, R., Wightman, G., Morrissey, E. et al. (2010). Sampling fish for the Water Framework Directive—Summary report 2009. Central and Regional Fisheries Boards report, Swords, p. 157.
Kirk, R. S. (2003). The impact of Anguillicola crassus on European eels. Fisheries Management and Ecology, 10, 385–94.
Knutzen, J., Bjerkeng, B., Green, N., Kringstad, A., Schlabach, M., & Skåre, J. U. (2001). Monitoring of micropollutants in fish and shellfish from the Grenland fjors (S. Norway) 2000. Norsk institutt for vannforskning (NIVA). p. 230.
Macgregor, K., Oliver, I. W., Harris, L., & Ridgway, I. M. (2010). Persistent organic pollutants (PCB, DDT, HCH, HCB & BDE) in eels (Anguilla anguilla) in Scotland: current levels and temporal trends. Environmental Pollution, 158, 2402–2411.
Maes, J., Belpaire, C., & Goemans, G. (2008). Spatial variation and temporal pollution profiles of polychlorinated biphenyls, organochlorine pesticides and heavy metals in European yellow eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) (Flanders, Belgium). Environmental Pollution, 153, 223–237.
McHugh, B., Poole, R., Corcoran, J., Anninou, P., Boyle, B., Joyce, E. et al. (2010). The occurrence of persistent chlorinated and brominated organic contaminants in the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) in Irish waters. Chemosphere, 79, 305–313.
Muñoz, C., Martínez-Carrasco, C., Ruiz de Ybáñez, R., García-Ayala, A., & Peñalver. J. (2009). Prevalencia de Anguillicola crassus (Nematoda, Dracunculoidea) en anguilas (Anguilla anguilla) silvestres procedentes de dos ecosistemas: la Albufera de Valencia y el Mar Menor (Murcia). XII Congreso Nacional de Acuicultura. Madrid. Noviembre 2009.
Nagel, D.C.F. (2010). Annex Country Report Germany 2010. German National Data Collection of European Eel (Anguilla anguilla) 2009–2010. In WG Eel (2010). Report of the 2010 Session of the Joint EIFAC/ICES Working Group on Eels, FAO European Inland Fisheries Advisory Commission; International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, Hamburg, 9–14 September 2010, EIFAC Occasional Paper, ICES CM 2010/ACOM: 18. Rome, FAO/Copenhagen, ICES. 2010. p 405–431. (Online).
O’Leary, C., Becerra Jurado, G., Cruikshanks, R., & Gargan, P. (2009). Report on the National Eel Monitoring Programme. Central and Regional Fisheries Report, Dublin, p. 136.
OSPAR (1999). JAMP Guidelines for Monitoring Contaminants in Biota. Available via http://www.ices.dk/env/guidelines/index.htm.
Palstra, A. P., van Ginneken, V. J. T., Murk, A. J., & van den Thillart, G. E. E. J. M. (2006). Are dioxin-like contaminants responsible for the eel (Anguilla anguilla) drama? Naturwissenschaften, 93, 145–148.
Palstra, A. P., Heppener, D. F. M., van Ginneken, V. J. T., Székely, C., & van den Thillart, G. E. E. J. M. (2007). Swimming performance of silver eels is severely impaired by the swim-bladder parasite Anguillicola crassus. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 352(1), 244–256.
Robinet, T., & Feunteun, E. (2002). Sublethal effects of exposure to chemical compounds: a cause for the decline in Atlantic eels? Ecotoxicology, 11, 265–277.
Szlinder-Richert, J., Usydus, Z., & Pelczarski, W. (2010). Organochlorine pollutants in European eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) from Poland. Chemosphere, 80, 93–99.
Thomé, J. P., Bertrand, A., Brose, F., Carabin, O., De Pauw, E., Dukmans, C. et al. (2004). Evaluation du niveau de contamination des rivières par les PCBs et les dioxines. Report Université de Liège. Convention avec la Région Wallonne, Ministère de l’Aménagement du Territoire, de l’Urbanisme et de l’Environnement, Engagement no. 01/4143. p. 167.
van den Thillart, G. E. E. J. M., van Ginneken, V., Körner, F., Heijmans, R., Linden, R., & van der Gluvers, A. (2004). Endurance swimming of European eel. Journal of Fish Biology, 65, 312–318.
van den Thillart, G. E. E. J. M., Dufour, S., Elie, P., Volckaert, F., Sebert, P., Rankin, C. et al. (2005). Estimation of the reproduction capacity of European eel. EELREP Final Report. p.272. Available via http://www.fishbiology.net/EELREP_final_report.pdf.
Weisbrod, A. W., Burkhard, L. P., Arnot, J., Mekenyan, O., Howard, P. H., Russom, C. et al. (2007). Review of fish bioaccumulation databases used to identify persistent, bioaccumulative, toxic substance. Environmental Health Perspectives, 115, 255–261. doi:10.1289/ehp.9424 [Online 30 October 2006].
WG Eel (2006). Report of the 2006 session of the Joint EIFAC/ICES Working Group on Eels, FAO European Inland Fisheries Advisory Commission, International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, Rome, 23–27 January 2006, EIFAC Occasional Paper No. 38, ICES CM 2006/ACFM: 16. Rome, FAO/Copenhagen, ICES. 2007. p. 352.
WG Eel (2007). Report of the 2007 Session of the Joint EIFAC/ICES Working Group on Eels, FAO European Inland Fisheries Advisory Commission; International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, Bordeaux, 3–7 September 2007, EIFAC Occasional Paper No. 39, ICES CM 2007/ACFM: 23. Rome, FAO/ Copenhagen, ICES. 2008. p. 138 (Includes a CD-ROM).
WG Eel (2008). Report of the 2008 Session of the Joint EIFAC/ICES Working Group on Eels, FAO European Inland Fisheries Advisory Commission; International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, Leuven, 3–9 September 2008, EIFAC Occasional Paper No. 43, ICES CM 2009/ACOM: 15. Rome, FAO/Copenhagen, ICES. 2009. p. 192 (Includes a CD-ROM).
WG Eel (2009). Report of the 2009 Session of the Joint EIFAC/ICES Working Group on Eels, FAO European Inland Fisheries Advisory Commission; International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, Göteborg, 7–12 September 2009, EIFAC Occasional Paper No. 45, ICES CM 2009/ACOM: 15. Rome, FAO/Copenhagen, ICES. 2010. p. 540 (Online).
WG Eel (2010). Report of the 2010 Session of the Joint EIFAC/ICES Working Group on Eels, FAO European Inland Fisheries Advisory Commission; International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, Hamburg, 9–14 September 2010, EIFAC Occasional Paper, ICES CM 2010/ACOM: 18. Rome, FAO/Copenhagen, ICES. 2010. 721p. (Online).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Belpaire, C., Geeraerts, C., Evans, D. et al. The European eel quality database: towards a pan-European monitoring of eel quality. Environ Monit Assess 183, 273–284 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-011-1920-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-011-1920-2