4th Meeting of Range States for the European Eel

Elite Hotel Savoy, Malmö

14-16 October, 2025

The 4th Meeting of Range States to the European Eel, organized by CMS, in conjunction with the Sargasso Sea Commission, will take place from 14-16 October 2025 at the Elite Hotel Savoy, in Malmö, Sweden. 

The meeting is open to Parties and non-Parties to CMS.  Observers, including representatives from MEA Secretariats, and from intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations with expertise relating to the conservation of the species or its habitats are also invited to participate in the workshop. 

There are some limited resources to provide travel arrangements for these delegates from eligible Parties, which will consist only of travel on the most direct and economical return airfare and daily subsistence allowance (DSA) for the duration of the meeting. 

All participants are kindly requested to confirm their intention to participate in the workshop by completing the online registration form.

Meeting registration

Background and objectives

The European Eel (Anguilla anguilla) has a wide geographic range from Northern Norway to North Africa and the Mediterranean. Mature fish migrate thousands of miles to the Sargasso Sea, south of Bermuda to spawn. There is significant concern regarding the status of Anguilla anguilla, due to a decline in recruitment, population, and escapement of the species over the past four decades.  In 2014, the species was listed on CMS Appendix II, "having a conservation status which would significantly benefit from international co-operation". All but two Range States are Parties to CMS.

The first workshop in 2016 also covered the American Eel.  At COP12 in 2017, Parties adopted a Concerted Action on the species, which led in turn to a second Range State meeting in Malmö in 2018. The third Range State meeting took place in 2019 in Malmö, setting a clear path for the development of a CMS Action Plan for the species. 

With the cooperation of the Sargasso Sea Commission, a draft of a Single Species Action Plan for the European Eel has been developed. After an initial round of consultation on the first draft,  a 2^nd draft will be tabled at 4th Meeting of the Range States for finalization.  The resulting version will be presented to CMS COP15 in March 2026 for adoption.

For a copy of the first draft of the Single Species Action Plan or for further information about the meeting and its objectives,  please contact Melanie Virtue, Head, CMS Aquatic Species Team at [email protected] or [email protected].