Cooking glass eels today involves a decision that transcends the gastronomic sphere. The season started in mid-November in Ribadesella (Asturias) with a record auction: the first kilo was awarded for 5,125 euros to the Asturian restaurant El Campanu. This tension was confirmed in December.
The critical situation led the Basque Government to suspend the fishing campaign for the fry for the 2025-2026 season. Technicians confirmed that the eel biomass in Euskadi rivers has fallen between 7-9% compared to the 1960s and 1970s, a threshold incompatible with species recovery.
Despite the alert, the Kresala restaurant, located in the Port Olímpic of Barcelona, opened the season with a special menu. The host, Iñaki López de Viñaspre (owner of Kresala), verbalized the discomfort that hung over the room.
“"It seems like a sacrilege in these times that we eat babies that could have become eels."
Chef Hugo Muñoz (from Ugo Chan, in Madrid) points to poaching as the biggest problem, as it distorts prices and hinders control. According to CITIS data, since 2011, over 24 tons of live glass eels have been confiscated in operations against illegal trafficking, even though the export of European eel is prohibited.
“"Traceability is the red line. If there is no one to buy, there is no one to capture illegally."
The most radical stance is defended by Andoni Luis Aduriz (from Mugaritz), who recalls that glass eel recruitment has fallen by more than 90% since the 80s. The European eel is classified as “critically endangered,” and the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (HISSIS) has recommended a total ban since 2000.
