# Are European Eels Endangered?

> Are european eels endangered? Status Critically Endangered, main threats, and what protection means.

- **Species:** European Eel (*Anguilla anguilla (European eel)*)
- **Conservation status:** Critically Endangered
- **Diet:** Carnivore (fish, worms, crustaceans)
- **Habitat:** Rivers, estuaries, and the open Atlantic Ocean
- **Lifespan:** Up to 20+ years in rivers; dies after spawning
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/european-eel/are-european-eel-endangered/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/european-eel/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

The European eel is a long, snake-like fish that migrates thousands of kilometres between European rivers and the Sargasso Sea in the western Atlantic, where it spawns and then dies. Adults reach about 1 m in length, weigh up to around 2.5 kg, and can live 20 years or more in fresh water before making their final journey. Once abundant, the species is now Critically Endangered, with young eel arrivals down by more than 95 percent.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need the full biology — use the [European Eel profile](https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/european-eel/) instead.

## A fish built for two worlds

The European eel spends most of its life in fresh water yet breeds far out in the open ocean, so its body must cope with both. It has a slender, muscular, snake-like form covered in a thick layer of slime, which helps it swim through water and even wriggle short distances across wet ground. A continuous fin runs along its back, tail and belly, giving the smooth, undulating stroke it uses to swim upstream. Adults typically grow to about 1 m long and can weigh up to roughly 2.5 kg.

## Help protect the European Eel

Ocean wildlife is under mounting pressure from overfishing, bycatch and plastic pollution.

[Donate to wildlife protection](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/donate/)

---
Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/european-eel/are-european-eel-endangered/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.