52. Serious concerns about the future of eel recruitment and stocks had been expressed by many participants throughout the Session and a round-table discussion was held under the Chairmanship of Dekker. It was agreed that a sub-group consider the matter and draw up a paper for further consideration. The text, further discussed and accepted by the Working Party is included in the Report as Annex E. It gives a summary of the risks to the fishery together with realistic and practical objectives not only for averting such risks but for improving the fishery no matter what changes in recruitment occur in future.
53. Arising from this discussion, a comprehensive list of topics for which Europe-wide research was drawn up by Klein Breteler and Dekker, considered and accepted by the Working Party (Annex F). This paper presents topics listed according to the life stages of the eel. The matter of assigning priorities in research would be considered at a future meeting.
54. It was further agreed that the research carried out by members of the Working Party on Eel and reported at its Sessions has led to the conclusion that the eel fisheries of the countries of Europe could be enhanced if certain actions were to be taken on a continental rather than national scale. Furthermore, there were strong indications that if such actions were not taken without delay, the same fisheries faced serious depletion with consequent loss of employment. A Recommendation was therefore formulated indicating briefly the means, not only of saving the existing fishery but of enhancing it.
