From 14-15 October, the World Maritime University (WMU) contributed to the technical session of the 4th Meeting of Range States for the European Eel held in Malmö and co-organized by the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) of the United Nations Environment Programme and the Sargasso Sea Commission (SSC).
4TH MEETING OF RANGE STATES
for the european eel
The meeting brought together around 40 participants, including representatives of the CMS Parties and non-Parties, Secretariats of Multilateral Environmental Agreements, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, and subject matter experts to advance collaborative conservation measures for the European Eel (Anguilla anguilla).
The central focus of the meeting was to review the second draft of the Single Species Action Plan for the European Eel, developed through close collaboration between the CMS Secretariat and the SSC.
WMU-GOI Contributions
A WMU delegation joined the meeting as observers and contributed to the text review with key input from Professor Ronán Long, Director of the WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute (WMU-GOI), and Professor Francis Neat as well as researchers from the WMU-GOI Future Ocean Programme.
The meeting outputs will be consolidated into an Action plan and the finalized version will be presented for adoption at CMS COP15 in March 2026.
WELCOME RECEPTION
Prior to the meetings, and following the successful partnerships with CMS and the Sargasso Sea Commission established during previous Range States meetings for the European Eel, WMU hosted delegates at the University on 13 October to formally welcome them to Malmö. The evening networking event provided a valuable opportunity to strengthen cooperation among stakeholders dedicated to the protection and sustainable management of the European Eel.
Professor Long delivered welcome remarks, emphasizing the importance of conservation measures for the European Eel and expressing WMU’s pride in supporting these efforts.
About the world maritime university
The World Maritime University (WMU) in Malmö, Sweden is established within the framework of the International Maritime Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations. The mission of WMU is to be the world centre of excellence in postgraduate maritime and oceans education, professional training and research, while building global capacity and promoting sustainable development. WMU is an organization by and for the international maritime community and is committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Agenda.
About the wmu-sasakawa global ocean institute
The World Maritime University’s WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute (WMU-GOI) is an independent focal point for the ocean science-policy-law-industry-society interface where policymakers, the scientific community, regulators, industry actors, academics, and representatives of civil society meet to discuss how best to manage and use ocean spaces and their resources in accordance with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Institute was inaugurated in May 2018 and made possible through generous support from The Nippon Foundation of Japan, the Governments of Sweden, Canada, and Germany, as well as the City of Malmö
About the Meetings of Range States for the European Eel - organized by CMS and SSC
The European Eel (Anguilla anguilla) is a migratory species with a wide geographic distribution from northern Norway to North Africa and the Mediterranean. Mature eels undertake an extraordinary migration across the Atlantic to the Sargasso Sea, south of Bermuda, to spawn. However, over the past four decades, the species has suffered dramatic declines in recruitment, population size, and escapement. In 2014, it was listed under Appendix II of the CMS, recognizing that its conservation status would significantly benefit from international cooperation.
The series of Range State meetings has played a key role in this cooperative effort. The first meeting, held in 2016, also considered the American Eel. Following COP12 in 2017, CMS Parties adopted a Concerted Action on the European Eel, leading to the second meeting in Malmö in 2018 and the third in 2019, which laid the groundwork for the development of a CMS Single Species Action Plan. The fourth meeting marks a milestone toward finalizing this plan, representing an important step in international collaboration for the long-term recovery and sustainable management of the European Eel.