That eel you’re eating in Japan: it may be endangered species smuggled from Spain and farmed in China

A large quantity of young European eels smuggled to China is raised in the country for about half a year before being shipped to the Japanese market, particularly when demand for the snakelike fish peaks every summer, according to a senior Spanish police officer.

The details came to light after Spanish police in April arrested 10 people, including Spanish and Chinese nationals, on suspicion of smuggling a huge amount of European juvenile eels – banned from being exported by the European Union in 2010 – into China during the fishing season of the species between last autumn and this spring.

At the time they were arrested, the police said Japan is a major destination for illegal exports of European eel fry, which is protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, known as the Washington Convention.

Juan Luis Garcia, a senior Spanish investigation officer for environmental crimes, told Kyodo that many smuggled juvenile eels are put in aquaculture pools in China around December before being farmed for half a year and shipped to Japan.

Eels are a prized summer delicacy in Japan. On what is traditionally referred to as the “day of the ox” in summer, the second of which for this season falls on Wednesday, Japanese people often eat eel, typically grilled with sweet soy sauce.