Por José Manuel N. Azevedo (cE3c - Island Biodiversity, Biogeography & Conservation).
European eels occur in fresh and brackish waters all over Europe, from Scandinavia all the way to the Mediterranean basin, including North Africa. For millennia they have been the basis of subsistence fisheries and the corresponding gastronomic traditions, smoked on the Netherlands, pickled in Aveiro or fried in Egypt. Surprisingly, European eels are now on the brink of extinction.
This is a story of overfishing, habitat destruction, deregulated aquaculture and global warming. The Azores, a minuscule spot in the wide distribution area of eels, are helping to advance the knowledge on eel reproduction, and may play a disproportionate role on the conservation of this amazing animal.
Transmissão via Zoom (pw: 092384).