ICES Workshop of a Planning Group on the Monitoring of Eel Quality: “Development of standardized and harmonized protocols for the estimation of eel quality.” (WKPGMEQ)

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Claude Belpaire, INBOOlga Haenen, CVI

Objectives

Progress towards the development of standardised and harmonised protocols for the estimation of the quality of the European eel Anguilla anguilla

Specifically with regard to the bioaccumulation of contaminantsthe presence of diseases, including parasites

Where, when and who

Meeting at the Research Institute Nature and Forest (INBO) Brussels, Belgium:

20–22 January 201531 participants (21 attendees and 10 remote participants)

representing 13 countries.

Chaired by:Claude Belpaire (INBO, Belgium) and Olga Haenen (CVI, part of WUR, the Netherlands)

General decline of the species

Eel recruitment is going down since ca 35 years (except very recently).

-> Endangered status and increased protection.

Eel stock decline - Possible causes include

• Fisheries

Briand et al. (2006)

Evans et al. (2006)

Lough Neagh silver eel fisheries

River Vilaine glass eel fisheries

French yellow eel fisheries

Recreational

fisheries

Eel stock decline - Possible causes include

• Fisheries• Habitat degradation

Embankment

River IJzer around 1900

River IJzer around 1970

Eel stock decline - Possible causes include

• Fisheries• Habitat degradation• Migration obstructions

e.g. sluices, dams, weirs, impingment, turbines, drainage pumps, …

River Velpe at Hoeleden

River Dender at Aalst

Silver eel killed by pump

Eel stock decline - Possible causes include

• Fisheries• Habitat degradation• Migration obstructions• Water quality and

pollution

Water pollution

Toxic compounds

Eel stock decline - Possible causes include

• Fisheries• Habitat degradation• Migration obstructions• Water quality and

pollution• Diseases

Thomas (1993)

Anguillicola crassus

Life cycle of A. crassus

Eel stock decline - Possible causes include

• Fisheries• Habitat degradation• Migration obstructions• Water quality and

pollution• Diseases• Predation

Cormorants

Photo John Cooper

Photo Hugo Verreycken

Eel stock decline - Possible causes include

• Fisheries• Habitat degradation• Migration obstructions• Water quality and

pollution• Diseases• Predation• Climatic change and

oceanic changes

British Society for Geomorphology

Gulf stream and North Atlantic Drift

Stock declineInsufficient quantity or

quality of spawners

FrameworkTo enable a better assessment of the impact of contaminants

and diseases which may effect spawner biomass and reproductive success of eels, the implementation of national routine monitoring programs is required (ICES, 2012b).

ICES recommended taking up an obligation of the Member States (MS) for the realization of routine monitoring of lipid levels, contamination and diseases as part of the Eel Regulation.

Advice for planning future reporting of the assessment of the quality of local stocks, specifically for calculating the Reproductive Potential of silver eels and the Eel Quality Index (EQI) of yellow eels in each Eel Management Unit (EMU).

Measuring eel quality is recommended …

Eel RegulationData Collection Framework (DCF)Water Framework Directive (WFD)Marine Strategy Framework DirectiveHuman health issues (Food safety)Reports of the Joint EIFAAC/ICES Working Group on Eels

(WGEEL)OSPAR

Results availability and need of an international database

EU Dioxin Regulation Europe: EU Dioxin Regulation (Com Reg EU No 1259/2011) came into force on 1 January 2012. 8 countries. 38% non-compliant. Max 13223 ng/g ww.

Threshold:Sum ICES 6 PCBS300 ng/g ww

...Absence of guidance:

Common procedures to estimate eel quality at an international level are not available

Methods of sampling, sample handling procedures, the range of chemical contaminants and other parameters measured, and the protocols for data reporting differ significantly among studies/ countries.

Results are presented in different formats

Raw data are usually unavailable to the international community.

Workflow for integrating eel quality indicators in the

international advice for stock management and restoration.

About sampling and treatment on site : How to …..

Identify Species, Life stages and GenderSelect appropriate sitesLength, weight and age issuesSize of the sample, number of eels to be analysed.Season of samplingSampling methods and impactHolding and hygienic measuresLabel, store and preserve

About using indices for measuring eel condition and fitness. How to measure and express …

Eel conditionLipidsGross energyGonadosomatic Index (GSI)Hepatosomatic Index (HSI)Reproduction Index

About sampling and analysis of contaminants : How to …..

Killing and anesthetizingTissue samplingStorage and general treatment of the samplesAnalytical measurementsDetection limitsQuality assurance and quality control

About interpretation, visualisation and assessment : Existing methods …..

Eel Quality ClassesEel Quality Index (EQI), derived from the Eel Quality ClassesIMBI: individual mean (multi-metal) bioaccumulation indexThe Eel Patho-Index (EPI), a Health Status Classification SystemReproductive potential in silver eelsEffective Spawner Escapement as evaluated in Irish rivers

Eel Quality Index for Contaminants Europe: In the framework of international assessments and advice ICES (2010, 2011, 2012) developed an Eel Quality Index for Contaminants.

Figure. Demonstration of the Eel Quality Index of Contaminants (EQICOM) based on ICES 6 PCBs of 1010 yellow or silver eels from 313 sites over 7 countries from Belpaire et al (2012, unpublished). (ICES, 2012).

About parasitic diseases How to diagnose and report …..

Anguillicoloides crassus (swimbladder nematode)Pseudodactylogyrus spp.blood parasites such as trypanosomes…

Clinical signs and sampling methods, # of eelsPreservation of parasites for identificationHow to report

About viral diseases How to diagnose and report …..

Clinical signs of infectionsMethods of sampling (in field or at lab) in which seasonDiagnostic tests for viruses: AngHV1, EVE, EVEX, a.o.

PCR methodsVirus isolation immunological methods

How to report

EVEX

AngHV1

About bacterial diseases How to diagnose and report …..

Clinical signs and sampling methods, # of eelsVibrio vulnificusEdwardsiella tardaPseudomonas anguillisepticaAeromonas salmonicida atypicalAeromonas hydrophila/sobriaFlavobacterium columnareMycobacterium marinum

Bacterial isolation and identification methodsHygiene precautionsHow to report

Perspectives of using biomarkers of effects to assess eel health

Preliminary discussionListing perspectivesLiterature overview

Conclusions (1)Current methods differ between Member States and are

not harmonised.Most data have been collected for human health

considerations and the assessment of habitat quality. Disease monitoring is still only carried out in a few

countries and is focused on mainly parasites, and in some cases also eel viruses.

International assessment of the quality of eel stocks would only be possible if raw data was accessible.

Conclusions (2)The workshop made good progress in elaborating

common best practice for evaluating eel quality. WKPGMEQ recognizes the need to support and initiate

international coordinated research to allow development of suitable set of biomarkers to assess eel health (e.g. in terms of survival, migration and reproduction capacity).

The workshop provided requirement and recommendations for assessing eel quality under existing international frameworks and agreed the need of an international database.

RecommendationsHarmonised methods for eel quality assessments and reporting

should be implemented by the Member States. Take up an obligation of the Member States for the realization

of routine monitoring by Member States, of lipid levels, contamination and diseases in the Eel Regulation.

Considering the current gaps in knowledge to fully assess the effects of current levels of contaminants on eel, monitoring efforts should be coupled to other research actions (need of an internationally coordinated research project)

Raw data should be made available to the international community through WGEel for inclusion in the Eel Quality Database.

The long-term management of the Eel Quality Database needs a structural basis and should be managed at an international level.

Report is available at ICES Website ICES WKPGMEQ REPORT 2014

Thank you for your attention!

(Pictures of this presentation © CVI/INBO)