Turismo
Relais & Châteaux chefs pledge to stop serving eel with immediate effect to prevent its extinction
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https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/9230451-relais-chateaux-chefs-pledge-stop-serving-eel-prevent-extinction/
The European eel ( ), which is featured in menus all over the world–and revered in certain French, Spanish, Belgian, Dutch and Japanese culinary cultures–is considered critically endangered and features on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) . Over the last 20 years, European scientists from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) have been warning about all the causes of the alarming decline of this species–but for the last three years, they have recommended suspending fishing.
In this context, the 21 Relais & Châteaux chefs elected to the Association's World Culinary Council gathered in October and voted to approve an immediate ban of European eel from its menus. In partnership with Ethic Ocean, Relais & Châteaux calls on the 27 European Union ministers to hear this chef mobilization and scientific recommendation in order to take the necessary measures this December to safeguard this species.
The effort follows a similar approach taken by the Association, in 2009, to save the bluefin tuna ( ) stocks in the North-East Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, which were close to collapsing. This action contributed to public mobilization around this species, which encouraged legislators to enact management measures adapted to the situation of the state of the stock.
The situation with eels is very alarming because this species suffers from a numerous challenges including water pollution (particularly rivers), habitat destruction, dams that impede their biological cycle and illegal fishing, which has created a black market, fetching up to €5,000 per kilo. Eels are the only fish that are targeted at their juvenile stage, on top of the fact that it takes them a long time to reach reproductive maturity.
While it is urgent to suspend eel fishing today, it is crucial that the public authorities take the necessary measures to fight against the other causes of the decline of this species.
Mauro Colagreco , Vice President, Chefs of Relais & Châteaux and therefore leader of the World Culinary Council, and chef-owner of the three-Michelin-starred restaurant Mirazur in the South of France , said,
The World Culinary Council–an international committee of 21 chefs from across the Relais & Châteaux network–had gathered over October 8-10, 2023 , under the Association's president, Laurent Gardinier .
Laurent Gardinier said:
The World Culinary Council wishes to draw attention to the plight of eels.
Relais & Châteaux has had a partnership with Ethic Ocean since 2009 and regularly unites its members around actions in favor of the environment, especially marine biodiversity (for example, World Oceans Day).
Gilles Boeuf, president of Ethic Ocean, said,
To learn more about sustainability at Relais & Châteaux, the Association's annual report with 15 objectives for 2025 and 2030 can be found here:
https://www.relaischateaux.com/us/discover/commitments
A MOVEMENT WITH MEANING
Relais & Châteaux, established in 1954, is an association of 580 unique hotels and restaurants throughout the world, owned and operated by independent entrepreneurs – most often families – who are passionate about their craft and deeply committed to forging warm, lasting relationships with their guests. Relais & Châteaux members protect and promote the wealth and diversity of the world's culinary and hospitality traditions, to ensure they continue to thrive. They are equally dedicated to preserving local heritage and the environment, as articulated in the association's Vision presented to UNESCO in November 2014.
www.relaischateaux.com
Ethic Ocean is a non-governmental environmental organization dedicated to the conservation of fisheries and marine ecosystems. Its mission is to create opportunities for change and help implement sustainable practices in the fisheries industry. Ethic Ocean works with all stakeholders to help them source species having stocks that are not overfished or which have been farmed responsibly.
For more information, visit www.ethic-ocean.org .
J/PR
relaisuk@jpublicrelations.com
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1. Mauro Colagreco
, Relais & Châteaux
Relais & Châteaux Mirazur, FRANCE
2. Peter Tempelhoff
Chef Delegate, ,
Relais & Châteaux Ellerman House, SOUTH AFRICA
3. Josep Espuga
Chef Delegate, ,
Relais & Châteaux Laura at Pt. Leo Estate, AUSTRALIA
4. Jef Schuur
Chef Delegate, ,
Relais & Châteaux Bij Jef, THE NETHERLANDS
5. Frédéric Doucet
Chef Delegate, ,
Relais & Châteaux Maison Doucet ,
FRANCE
6. Cédric Béchade
Chef Delegate, ,
Relais & Châteaux L'Auberge Basque, FRANCE
7. Mathieu Guibert
Chef Delegate, ,
Relais & Châteaux Anne de Bretagne, FRANCE
8. Julien Dumas
Chef Delegate, ,
Relais & Châteaux Saint James Paris, FRANCE
9. Jacques Pourcel
Chef Delegate, ,
Relais & Châteaux Hôtel Richer de Belleval ,
FRANCE
10. Holger Bodendorf
Chef Delegate, ,
Relais & Châteaux Landhaus Stricker, GERMANY
11. Vicky Lau
Chef Delegate, ,
Relais & Châteaux Tate Dining Room, HONG KONG
12. Emanuele Scarello
Chef Delegate, ,
Relais & Châteaux Agli Amici dal 1887, ITALY
13. Shinichiro Takagi
Chef Delegate, ,
Relais & Châteaux Zeniya, JAPAN
14. Marko Gajski
Chef Delegate, ,
Relais & Châteaux Lešić Dimitri, CROATIA
15. Jason Bangerter
Chef Delegate, ,
Relais & Châteaux Langdon Hall , CANADA
16. Gabriel Kreuther
Chef Delegate, ,
Relais & Châteaux Gabriel Kreuther, NEW YORK, USA
17. Kyle Connaughton
Chef Delegate, ,
Relais & Châteaux SingleThread Farm-Restaurant-Inn, CALIFORNIA, USA
18. Norman Brandt
Chef Delegate, ,
Relais & Châteaux Pikaia Lodge, GALÁPAGOS ISLANDS
19. Pedro Subijana
Chef Delegate, ,
Relais & Châteaux Akelarre, SPAIN
20. Stéphane Décotterd
Chef Delegate, ,
Relais & Châteaux Restaurant Stéphane Décotterd, SWITZERLAND
21. Michael Caines
Chef Delegate, ,
Relais & Châteaux Lympstone Manor, UNITED KINGDOM
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