On 27 and 28 June 2018, 25 people representing 10 SUDOANG partners gathered at Anglet University (France) for a course run by Agnes Bardonnet (INRA) and Isabel Domingos (FCUL-Mare).

The aim of the course was to provide all the participants with training on the protocols and techniques for eel sampling (recruits and silver and yellow eels) in their habitat (rivers, estuaries and ponds) in a standardised and uniform way.

The subjects covered included:

• Using electrical fishing to determine eel numbers.
• Establishing the approach standard.
• Assessing the prevalence of the Anguillicola crassus parasite and its effects on the swim bladder.
• Gonad extraction.
• Otolith extraction.
• Identifying the pigmentation stages in elvers.

The course included a theoretical part of talks and presentations, when the pros and cons of the different techniques and the sampling design and protocols were discussed. It was combined with a practical laboratory session when several specimens were examined.

Thanks to this course, sampling protocols were produced for the recruits and eels (silver and yellow), which can be downloaded here aquí.

This lack of common protocols was one of the main shortcomings in eel management and progress towards the SUDOANG goals has thus been made. On to the next one!