The mother of the ESF
The Eel Stewardship Association
The Eel Stewardship Association (ESA) is the founder of the Eel Stewardship Fund and owner of the ESF trademark. The ESA was founded in 2015 by industry organisations in the Netherlands and Germany and it is hoped that other countries will also join. The main objective is to accelerate the recovery of eel stocks in Europe and to take measures to ensure the sustainable utilisation of stocks.
What ESA does
The ESA is an administrative organisation. As the income from the ESF belongs to the respective member states, the actual activities are carried out by the ESA members. The members of the ESA receive funds from the Eel Stewardship Fund, which are collected through the sale of eels for consumption in the respective countries. In addition to sales, further funds are also received from food producers, as well as from grants and donations. Thanks to the Sustainable Eel Fund, ESA members are able to finance a wide range of conservation activities.
ESA members
The Eel Stewardship Association was founded in December 2015. Three countries are currently organised in the ESA: England, Germany and the Netherlands. The following organisations belong to the ESA:
Netherlands - DUPAN
DUPAN is the Dutch Eel Traders' Foundation (NeVePaling), the Dutch Fish Farmers' Association (NEVEVI) and the organisation of professional fishermen (netVISwerk). The aim of the foundation is to achieve the restocking of the European eel.
The DUPAN Foundation takes measures that contribute to the sustainable recovery of the eel population in Dutch and European inland waters. In addition, DUPAN works on sustainable solutions for catching and rearing eels and for environmentally and animal-friendly processes and promotes scientific research into eels. In this way, the DUPAN Foundation strives for the sustainable preservation of the Dutch eel and the eel industry.
Europe -Sustainable Eel Group
The Sustainable Eel Group is a pan-European organisation dedicated to the conservation of the eel, working under scientific guidance. It works with partner institutions and individuals to accelerate the recovery of eel stocks.
Their endeavour: A healthy eel population, distributed across its natural range, fulfilling its role in the aquatic environment and able to support sustainable utilisation for the benefit of the local economy.
Their intention is to be a respected partner that enables and promotes the joint conservation and management of the eel in the UK and Europe, linking all interests in an open and effective process.
Germany -IFEA
The Initiative zur Förderung des Europäischen Aals e.V. (IFEA) is the German association of eel dealers and eel breeders. The aim of this foundation is to preserve the European eel. It takes on tasks that contribute to the sustainable preservation of the eel population in German and European inland waters. IFEA also works on sustainable solutions for catching and rearing eels as well as for environmentally and animal-friendly processes and also promotes scientific research into eels. In this way, the foundation strives for the sustainable conservation of eels and the eel industry in Germany.
More information
Eelforever campaign
A journey through the world of eel. "Eelforever" is the name of the IFEA's web and social media campaign, which we use to keep people up to date on the important relationships and current developments in eel.
About the ESF
In 2016, the IFEA launched the ESF (Eel Stewardship Fund) with the ESA. For every eel sold with this logo, a fixed amount is paid into the ESF, which is used to finance measures to restore the eel.
To the eel
To the homepage
Here is an overview of the activities of the Eel Initiative.