Haitian gangs profiteering from the opaque baby eel market

Demand for the worm-like creatures with dots for eyes mostly comes from Asia and is swelling the coffers of the criminal groups terrorising Haiti, experts warn.

Migration patterns of the glass eel

Known in Haitian Creole as "Zangi," the glass eels migrate each year from the Sargasso Sea in the North Atlantic to the coasts of the ocean, including along the shores of the island of Hispaniola, shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

They infiltrate the rivers where they grow until they return to the sea to reproduce.

Endangered species and loopholes in trade regulations

Since 2009, the CITES convention on endangered species has strictly regulated the global trade of European eels, but it does not control the trade of American eels.

They are, however, classified as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species — mainly due to overfishing of the species which commercial fish farms cannot breed in captivity.

Eels are a high-value commodity in Asian markets

They are used to supply farms where they are fattened up for sale in Asia, where eels are a highly sought delicacy.

Haiti and the Dominican Republic as primary exporters

Haiti, along with the Dominican Republic, has become a key exporter of American eels in recent years, CITES says.

Push to restrict global eel trade

To protect American and European eels, which are indiscernible to the naked eye, from being shipped to Asia under false labels, the EU and Panama seek CITES to restrict the trade of all such eels.