As promised at the time of its creation, AFPMAR has finalized a draft White Paper, which has been submitted to and discussed with the official professionnal fishing structures: CNPMEM and CONAPPED, as well as with the Association ARA France, which coordinates restocking operations in France.

This book brings together factual information on biology, fishing, the environment and the various impacts of anthropogenic factors on this species, which is at the core of the economy and future of small-scale coastal, estuarine and continental fisheries.

It highlights the relative impact of the exploitation of this species in the face of the pressures of numerous uses, by synthesizing elements of knowledge provided to Europe, but not taken into account by it for the management of this species.

Contrary to the “polluter pays” principle, one of the three main principles of the Charter of the Environment included in the French Constitution, main polluters are not the ones who pay, as the elements contained in this document indicate. In particular, since the beginning of the 20th century, and especially since the second half of the last century, the promoters of large dams for various purposes have fragmented and profoundly modified habitats of this species. The plundering of wetlands considered as areas to be drained and urbanized has accentuated the decline of the species, to the detriment of those who live and respect it: the fishermen.

These are the main targets, for reasons of convenience, of an administration and NGOs that are overwhelmed by the complexity of the issue at stake, which is the implementation of a more global approach to environmental management, rather than a simple sectoral approach that only takes the fishing industry into account.

Analysis of results of the management plan implemented by EU regulation 1100/2007 shows that fishing has achieved the objectives assigned to it, but not the other uses, whose effects and impacts are weighing increasingly heavily on the environment, not only for eels, but also for other continental, estuarine and coastal species. The numerous observations of fish kills in various ecosystems, the health problems encountered in oyster-farming areas, and the increasingly frequent bathing prohibitions in coastal waters all demonstrate that the future of the eel and those who exploit it, is totally dependent on respect for the integrity of natural environments by uses other than fishing.

This White Paper is intended as a plea for less technocratic solutions, based on the knowledge and know-how of those who have contributed to ensuring the supply of human communities in accordance with the rules of the art.