Protection of the European Eel

CSO: Loomus MTÜ
Area: Species protection
Location: Estonia

Type of project

The project aims to promote the protection of the European eel in Estonia and, in the longer term, across Europe. Because the species forms a single population throughout its range, its conservation requires coordinated, Europe-wide action. This project supports that goal through science-based, honest communication and by educating and engaging the media community.

Target (Disengaged)

The project ensures a science-based approach by relying on established research and assessments from authoritative bodies such as the IUCN, ICES, and the European Commission, and by working closely with national experts, including sustainable fisheries specialist Joonas Plaan from the Estonian Fund for Nature.

Science-based

The project ensures a science-based approach by relying on established research and assessments from authoritative bodies such as the IUCN, ICES, and the European Commission, and by working closely with national experts, including sustainable fisheries specialist Joonas Plaan from the Estonian Fund for Nature.

Gender

The project promotes gender equality by aiming for balanced gender representation in engagement with policymakers and experts, and by actively encouraging the participation of men in a field where women are currently overrepresented.

Planned activities

• The project will engage at least 5 major national media outlets and hold ≥5 meetings with journalists and editors to improve the accuracy of eel-related coverage.
• It will involve ≥3 formal meetings with the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture and develop three policy scenarios for protecting the European eel in Estonia.
• The public will be reached through weekly social media posts, monthly media articles, newsletters, and printed materials, aiming to increase public support for a fishing and sales ban from 48.9% to at least 60%, and to encourage ≥10 businesses to remove eel from their selection.

Action model

• Identify misinformation on the European eel in media, policy, and public discourse.
• Intervene with science-based input through direct engagement with journalists, policymakers, and the public.
• Reinforce change by amplifying accurate narratives, promoting behavioural alternatives, and measuring shifts in public support.