Facebook debate erupts over legal eel sales in Karrebæksminde

A fierce Facebook debate has erupted over the sale of critically endangered eels by Karrebæksminde Seafood, even though the company’s fishing and sales are legal, DR reports.

Fisherman Søren Henriksen recently returned to shore with three large buckets of eel after fishing in the channel between Karrebæksminde and Enø near Næstved in southern Zealand. He planned to show the catch on the company’s Facebook page, as he has done throughout the eel season.

Henriksen is one of the selected eel fishermen licensed to catch the threatened species. But videos showing his catches have attracted angry comments from Facebook users, who debate whether eels should be caught, sold and eaten.

“It is quite extraordinary how much people care about it, the Facebook warriors, as I call them,” Henriksen said.

Peter Dahm, an environmental consultant and marine biologist at Aarhus University, said he understood the public reaction but believed the online debate should be more nuanced.

“When they are actually fishing legally, perhaps the fishermen should not be the ones people direct their anger at,” Dahm said.

The eel fishing season began on July 6 and runs until September 15. Licensed fishermen are allowed to catch 40 tonnes of eel during the period.

According to Dahm, only 1 percent of the eel stock remains. The species is also receiving limited support through breeding and release programmes.

Fiskemanden in Køge, which receives its eels from Præstø, has faced similar reactions. Owner Ulrik Hansen posted an explanation of the rules governing eel fishing and the company’s practices.

“There is nothing illegal about this, so the purpose is to inform people that they can buy an eel with a clear conscience,” Hansen said, while acknowledging that the issue divides opinion.

Dahm said buying eel was a personal choice and that he would not buy it himself. However, he said fishermen should be allowed to sell fish they had caught legally.