麻豆社

Eels are a popular food in parts of Asia, but they can鈥檛 be commercially bred in captivity. Coupled with trade bans to protect the highly endangered fish, this has led to baby eels becoming one of the most trafficked creatures in the world. 麻豆社 Eye and DOCDAYS investigate this global trade from the rivers of the UK to Haiti, Poland and Russia.

We鈥檙e in the UK where the last remaining eel trader in the country has a licence to export baby eels to stock a conservation project in Russia. But questions have been raised over whether this is really what鈥檚 going on. We visit an investigative journalist in Poland who鈥檚 been looking into these exports to Russia and elsewhere in Eastern Europe. With access to a member of an organised crime gang from Hong Kong, we hear how smugglers evade the French authorities to export baby eels to Asia. We also visit the Caribbean where a new and booming demand for glass eels is having a big impact on communities and politics in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

A co-production from DOCDAYS Productions and 麻豆社 Eye Investigations.