An extensive eel poaching and smuggling operation was busted in the United States. Live baby eels are protected under the Endangered Species Act and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The eels were smuggled out of the EU to China to be raised in farms, and then sold to the United States for consumption. Overall value of the shipments was $160 million over the course of four years. Seafood fraud and mislabeling is still rampant and wide-spread around the globe.

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Picture Credit Susanne Kuehne

Posted on 27 June 2022