Hungry for More: Examining How Cultures of Increasing Demand Drive the Decline of the European Eel

Abstract

European eels have attracted considerable interest in recent years, amidst growing illegal markets and plummeting wild populations. While the shifting dynamics between legal and illegal trade are of clear interest to criminologists, little attention has been paid to the confluence of the legal – yet still harmful – activities that threaten the species. To address this gap, we build on a green criminological position and draw together research from across France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom to shine a light on the drivers of demand that shape harms towards the species. We examine both direct drivers of demand, for example, fisheries and globalised food networks; and indirect drivers of demand for “natural resources” such as energy, water and land. By framing demand as a source and driver of harms, we reveal how cultures of demand, particularly in the Global North, are both blind to and disconnected from the harms they produce.