The 300,000 glass eels that customs confiscated from three smugglers at Schiphol on Monday are given a new lease of life. The small eels were transferred to the Veluwemeer near Harderwijk. They now swim around in complete freedom.
“After it was established that they were indeed European glass eels, we immediately put our specialists to work to offer as many palinks as possible a chance of survival,” says Alex Koelewijn of the Dupan foundation. Broadcasting Gelderland† Eel fishermen, fish farmers and fishmongers work together in this foundation.
The glass eels were Monday seized from three Malaysians, two men and a woman, on their way from Portugal to Asia, They were carrying eight large, identical suitcases, which caught the attention of security. The suitcases turned out to be full of plastic bags filled with water and small nematodes. In total ‘the catch’ had a weight of 105 kilos.
Nematodes are worth gold
The nematodes are worth their weight in gold, Koelewijn knows: “The Chinese market offers five to ten times as much for these glass eels as in Europe. There they are grown into eels for consumption. That is a bad thing, because the European quota does not exist for nothing. The amount of eel that we are allowed to consume in Europe is strictly regulated to protect the eel, so everything must be done to stop smuggling to Asia.”
Koelewijn mentioned eel smuggling earlier ‘world’s biggest wildlife crime’. There has been a quality mark for fully traceable eel since 2018, which means that there is much less smuggling today than before. But last Monday another attempt was made. The three suspects have been arrested. The NVWA has prepared a report.
According to the Dupan foundation, the vast majority of nematodes survived the adventure. The animals are given the opportunity to grow up unhindered in the Veluwemeer.
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