Europe is at the centre of an illegal wildlife trade operation worth billions of pounds.

Gangs are thought to be smuggling up to 350 million live eels from Europe and shipping them to Asia every single year. Once at their destination, the young eels are farmed to full size and redistributed across the world. But why is the European eel such a valuable commodity? Why has the trade of glass eels been made illegal? And what effect is this having on the species?

Dive in with ZSL’s Dr Matthew Gollock, eel researcher Kenzo Kaifu, wildlife trade analyst Hiromi Shrirashi, counter-trafficking advisor Grant Miller and the Sustainable Eel Group’s Florian Stein.

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