1st UK International Eel Science Symposium

‘Science into Management’

London Zoo, Zoological Society of London,

June 13th-15th 2017

The symposium is very kindly supported by

Tuesday June 13th

Session 1 Setting the Scene Session Chair. (tbc)

09.30 Andy Don, Environment Agency (UK)

Welcome from the Symposium Steering Group

09.40

Official Symposium Opening Presented by

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

09.50

Alan Walker, Cefas (UK) and Chair ICES Anguillid Section

Key Note Challenges of management from a scientific perspective.

10.20

Matthew Gollock Zoological Society of London (UK) and IUCN

Anguillid conservation – the Global context.

10.45 Hiromi Shiraishi, TRAFFIC (Japan)

The illicit global trade in eels.

11.05 BREAK

Session 2 Species and Regions

Session Chair. Andrew Kerr, Sustainable Eel Group (UK)

11.35 Tom Kwak. North Carolina State University (USA)

Ecology and Conservation of the American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) in the Caribbean Region

11.55

Robert Schabetsberger, University of Salzburg (Austria)

From myth to reason – search for a spawning area of tropical eels in the western South Pacific.

12.15 Kenzo Kaifu, Chuo University (Japan)

How science can contribute to conservation and sustainable use of Japanese eel?

12.35

Céline Hanzen, University of KwaZulu Natal (S. Africa)

Changes in historical distribution and genetic diversity of anguillid eels along the east coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

12.55

Peter Phillipsen, Nature at Work (Holland)

The Rhine Eel Roadmap.

13.00

Markus Diekmann, Dept. for Inland Fisheries (Germany)

On the actual recruitment of European eel in the River Ems, Germany.

13.05

Nick Walker, George Mason University (USA)

Prioritizing Fish Habitat for American eel (Anguilla rostrata) in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

13.10

LUNCH

Session 3

Species and Regions Session Chair. Andy Don, Environment Agency (UK)

14.10

Willem Dekker Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (Sweden)

What eel did my Grandma eat? Dynamics of the European eel fisheries in historical perspective

14.30 Emna Derouiche, INSTM, (Tunisia)

How many downstream silver eels escaped from Ichkeul Lake (Northern Tunisia)? A mark-recapture experiment .

14.50 Alejandro Belen ZSL, (Philippines)

Developing an Eel Management Plan for the Philippines – Process and Challenges.

15.10 BREAK

Session Chair. Charles Crundwell, Environment Agency (UK)

15.40 Pierre Sasal University of Perpignan (France)

Research and conservation of eels in the South Pacific region.

16.00

Kazuki Yokouchi National Research Institute of Fisheries Science (Japan)

Decadal monitoring of the Japanese eel demography in several model river systems in Japan.

16.20

Ahmed Yahyaoui/ Fatima Wariaghli Mohamed V University (Morocco)

Eel stock in Morocco.

16.40 Hikaru Itakura Kobe University (Japan)

Site fidelity, diel and seasonal activity of growth phase Japanese eel in the freshwater habitat inferred from acoustic telemetry.

17.05 Jonah Tosney Norfolk Rivers Trust (UK)

A catchment-based approach to eel conservation on a small Norfolk river: The Glaven Eel Project.

17.10 Pieterjan Verhelst Ghent University (Belgium)

Emigration OF European silver eel (Anguilla anguilla) from a polder system into the Schelde estuary.

17.15 Close of Day 1

19.30 – 23.00 Drinks and Poster Reception

Wednesday June 14th

Session 4 Marine Phase Studies (1)

Session Chair. Paul Coulson, Institute of Fisheries Management (UK)

08.50 Paul Coulson Institute of Fisheries Management (UK)

Opening remarks from the Organising Committee.

08.55 David Righton Cefas (UK)

Key Note

Extreme swimming: eels on their oceanic spawning migration

09.25

Nobuto Fukuda, National Research Institute of Fisheries Science (Japan)

Oceanic migration of each developmental stage in the Japanese eel.

09.45 Martin Castonguay, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (Canada)

Behavioural plasticity in American eels migrating across the continental shelf into the Sargasso Sea

10.05 Elsa Amilhat, University of Perpignan (France)

Silver Eel migration behaviour in the Mediterranean Sea.

10.25

Hakán Wickstrom, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (Sweden)

Growth in stocked eels—promising results from a full scale marking experiment in a marine environment.

10.45 Yoichi Miyake, University of Tokyo (Japan)

Recruitment mechanism of Anguilla japonica glass eels implied by 50-year catch and oceanographic data and model.

11.05 BREAK

Session 5 Monitoring and stock management

Session Chair. Matthew Gollock, Zoological Society of London (UK)

11.35 Caroline Durif, Institute of Marine Research (Norway)

Depth, home range and migratory behavior of European eels tracked in coastal marine waters

11.55 Laura Lee NC Division of Marine Fisheries (USA)

Management and Stock Assessment of American Eel on the U.S. East Coast.

12.15 Derek Evans AFBI (UK)

Statistical analysis of the eel population dynamics of Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland.

12.35

Kohma Arai University of Tokyo (Japan)

A study on the natural distribution of the Japanese eel in the Tone River system, Japan.

12.55

Priit Bernotas, Estonian University of Life Sciences (Estonia)

First results of using an enclosure fyke net system for estimating European eel abundance in a large and shallow lake.

13.00 LUNCH

Session 6 Monitoring and Stock Management

Session Chair (tbc)

14.00 Jonathan Bolland, Hull International Fisheries Institute (UK)

Route choice, passage and survivability of eel at a lowland pumping station.

14.20 Sarah Mount, State University of New York (USA)

The Development of a Non-Lethal Maturity Index for American Eels.

14.40

Jeroen Van Wichelen, Research Institute for Nature and Forest (Belgium)

Evaluation of adjusted tidal barrier management for European glass eel migration: upstream dispersal and feeding behaviour.

15.00 Adam Piper, ZSL and Environment Agency (UK)

Response of seaward-migrating European eel (Anguilla anguilla) to hydrodynamics.

15.20 Paul Kemp, Southampton University (UK)

Summary of passage/screening ecohydraulic studies carried out at flumes.

15.40 BREAK

Session 7 Monitoring and Stock Management (Restocking)

Session Chair (tbc)

16.10 Thomas Pratt, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (Canada)

Lessons from a large-scale American eel conservation stocking experiment.

16.30 Maidu Silm/Mehis Rohtla Estonian University of Life Sciences (Estonia)

Can we distinguish strontium chloride marked European eels by country from isotope signals?

16.50 Shingo Kimura, University of Tokyo (Japan)

Inhabitation of the European eel in the Japanese rivers.

17.10

Bjoern Kullmann, Hamburg University (Germany)

Mass-marking of farmed European eels Anguilla anguilla (Linnaeus, 1758) with alizarinred S.

17.15

Billy Nzau Matondo, University of Liège (Belgium)

Long-term monitoring of European eels in the Belgian Meuse River basin. From the historical drastic decline to recent outcomes of restocking practices.

17:20 Close of Day 2

18:45 – 22:30 - Symposium Dinner on the River Thames During the evening we will have a number of presentations as we enjoy a glass of wine and some fine food. Speakers Andrew Kerr, Sustainable Eel Group (UK) Working towards a sustainable future for the eel Sophie Edwards, Thames Water (UK) The Thames Water Eel Programme. Screening, science, challenges and opportunities Karl Bousfield, Hydrolox (UK/USA) Hyrdolox Eel and Fish Screening Solutions Joost van Deelan, World Fish Migration Foundation (Holland) The AMBER Project Steve Colclough, Institute of Fisheries Management (UK) The history of eels in the Thames The dinner is very kindly supported by

Thursday June 15th

Session 8 Threats

Session Chair. Iain Turner, Institute of Fisheries Management (UK)

08.50 Paul Coulson Institute of Fisheries Management (UK)

Opening remarks from the Organising Committee.

09.00 Olga Haenen, Wageningen University (Holland)

Key Note

The most important diseases of European eel in Europe in the last 30 year.

09.30 Neil Lewin, Environment Agency (UK)

Silver Service: A Standard Protocol for Eel Health Examinations.

09.50 Kuan-Mei Hsiung, University of Tokyo (Japan)

Effect of ENSO events and global warming on larval and juvenile duration and transport process of the Japanese eel (Anguilla japonica).

10.10 Maria Mateo, IRSTEA (France)

Assessing the impact of anthropogenic pressures on temperate eels using Genetics & Evolutionary ecology-based model for eels (GenEveel).

10.30

Kieran McCarthy. National University of Ireland Galway (Ireland)

Parasite assemblages of European eels in Irish freshwater, mixohaline and marine habitats.

10.35 Marc Simon Weltersbach , Thünen Institute of Baltic Sea Fisheries (Germany)

Effects of catch-and-release on European eel in recreational fisheries.

10.40 Ben Griffioen, Wageningen Marine Research (Holland)

Silver eel migration in the river Meuse 2002 – 2015: mortality estimations and behavioural patterns.

10.45 David Buysse Research Institute for Nature and Forest (Belgium)

Mortality of European eel after downstream migration through three types of pumping station.

10.50 BREAK

Session 9 Threats

Session Chair. Alan Walker, Cefas (UK)

11.20 Tatsuki Yoshinaga, Kitasato University (Japan)

CITES-listing and other social forces shrank the commercial utilization of the European eel in the Japanese market between 2011 and 2016.

11.40 Jens Frankowski, Institute for Fisheries (Germany)

Behaviour, escapement and mortality of female European silver eels within a regulated lowland river draining into the Baltic Sea.

12.00

Claude Belpaire, Research Institute for Nature and Forest (Belgium)

Standardisation of eel quality assessments and the effects of contaminants on the eel stock.

12.20 Estibaliz Diaz, Marine Research. Itsas Ikerketa (Spain)

European eel (anguilla anguilla) under climatic change.

12.40 Malte Dorow, Institute for Fisheries (Germany)

The development of the eel fisheries management in coastal and inland waters in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Germany) between 1955 and 2015.

12.45 Florian Stein, Sustainable Eel Group (UK)

Combating the illegal trade in European eels.

12.50 Rob Pilcher, AECOM (UK)

New guide to eel screening and passage in the UK.

12.55 LUNCH

Session 10 Aquaculture and Genetics

Session Chair (tbc)

14.00 Oliviero Mordenti, University of Bologna (Italy)

Captive Breeding of the European Eel. A review of the work in Italy.

14.20 Anke Zernack, Tanenuiarangi Manawatu Inc (New Zealand)

PROJECT TUNA - Overcoming the hurdles to establish an environmentally, economically and socially sustainable shortfin eel aquaculture industry in New Zealand

14.40 Marti Pujolar, Aarhus University (Denmark)

Assessing pre- and post-zygotic barriers between North Atlantic eels (Anguilla anguilla and A. rostrata).

15.00

Chrysoula Gubili, Helenic Agricultural Organisation (Greece)

Panmixia in the tropics: lack of genetic structure in sympatric eels.

15.20 BREAK

Session 11 15.50 – 16.30. Open discussion. The future

Facilitated by Matthew Gollock, Zoological Society of London (UK)

16.30 Alan Walker, Cefas (UK) and Chair ICES Anguillid Section

Highlights and further work from the symposium.

16.45

SYMPOSIUM CLOSE