The anthropogenic spread of pathogens contributes to the decline of some species. However, restocking programs implemented to counteract the decline of such populations can also contribute to the spread of pathogens, in particular for endangered species that cannot be bred in captivity, where populations used in restocking must be sourced from the wild with no control over sanitary status. A prime example of this is the endangered species European eel (Anguilla anguilla). As part of eel restocking programs, glass eels are captured in estuaries for later release further inland. In cases where release occurs immediately after capture, pre-release quarantine is important for mitigation of sanitary risks. In this study, we explored the impact of different quarantine conditions on glass eel sanitary status, morphology, behaviour and quarantine/post-quarantine survival in order to evaluate the feasibility and optimization of quarantine stages. Replicate experiments were conducted in 2017 and 2018, using glass eels of different geographical origin. The results suggest that glass eels entering estuaries are free of pathogens and so that their capture at this early stage reduces the risk of the anthropogenic introduction of pathogens through restocking programs. They support the use of a 15-day pre-release quarantine period to allow easier management of release processes and the implementation of prophylactic and therapeutic measures as part of these useful conservation programs.

病原体的人为传播导致某些物种的减少。但是，为抵制此类种群的减少而实施的补充种群计划也可能促进病原体的传播，特别是对于不能人工饲养的濒危物种，在该种群中补充种群必须来自野外，无法控制卫生状况。一个典型的例子是濒临灭绝的欧洲鳗鱼（Anguilla anguilla）。作为鳗鱼补充计划的一部分，将玻璃鳗捕获在河口中，以便以后向内陆释放。如果在捕获后立即发生释放，则释放前隔离对减轻卫生风险很重要。在这项研究中，我们探讨了不同检疫条件对鳗鱼卫生状况，形态，行为和检疫/检疫后存活的影响，以评估检疫阶段的可行性和优化。在2017年和2018年使用不同地理来源的玻璃鳗进行了重复实验。结果表明，进入鳗鱼河口的玻璃鳗不含病原体，因此在此早期阶段捕获它们可减少通过补养计划人为引入病原体的风险。