European eel (Anguilla anguilla) is listed under CITES Appendix II, meaning exports from EU countries require a CITES export permit and the US importer must file a USFWS import declaration. Japanese eel (Anguilla japonica), the primary species sourced from Japan, Bangladesh, and South Korea, is not currently CITES-listed, so CITES documentation is not required for those origins — though USFWS declaration requirements still apply for all wildlife imports.

Wild eel populations — particularly European and American eel — have declined sharply due to habitat loss, overfishing, and migration barriers, prompting regulatory restrictions on wild harvest. East Asian aquaculture operations, primarily in Japan, China, and Taiwan, have developed large-scale eel farming using glass eel (elver) seed stock, producing a consistent supply of market-size eels. This farmed supply now underpins most commercial eel trade, though it depends on wild-caught glass eels, which are themselves subject to increasing regulatory scrutiny.