The International technical workshop on Tropical Anguillid Eels in Southeast Asia was held in Bangkok

SEAFDEC, with the financial support from Japan-ASEAN Integrated Fund (JAIF), convened the International Technical Workshop on Tropical Anguillid Eels in Southeast Asia on 7-8 June 2018 in Bangkok, Thailand. The Workshop was held to fulfill the Decision 17.186 on eels (Anguilla spp.) of the 17^th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP17) of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). There were 45 participants who were members of the Assessment Committee and representatives from the countries involved in the SEAFDEC project “Enhancing Sustainable Utilization and Management Scheme of Tropical Anguillid Resources in Southeast Asia”, Mission of Japan to the ASEAN, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Zoological Society of London (ZSL), and SEAFDEC.

The issue on Anguillid eels was previously discussed during the CoP17 where several decisions were made with directives from the CITES Secretariat to follow up, especially to document trade patterns and to organize an international technical workshop to compile information and discuss the challenges specific to various eel species.

The recommendations from this workshop and the findings of the eel project undertaken by SEAFDEC will will be incorporated in the “Information Document” on Tropical Anguillid Eels as the species may be raised for discussion during the relevant the 30^th Animals Committee Meeting (AC30) to be held on 16-21 July 2018 in Geneva, Switzerland and the subsequent CoP18 in May 2019 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.