Eels from Germany seized at Beijing airport

Zhang Lifeng, an expert of Beijing Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, quarantines the seized eel fry in Beijing, capital of China, Jan 14, 2014. (Xinhua/Luo Xiaoguang)

Tens of thousands of live eels from Germany have been confiscated at the Beijing International Airport, local authorities announced on Tuesday.

Beijing Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau seized 12 cases of live Anguilla anguilla, a kind of European eel, on Monday. The carrier was on his way to southeast China's Fujian Province to breed them, but had no permission to bring aquatic products into the country.

The eels will be destroyed, and samples have been sent to a laboratory for tests, law-enforcement officers said.

Many aquatic products are not allowed in the country. An application for quarantine and approval must be submitted before the introduction of products from abroad.

Anguilla anguilla is very likely to carry viruses that might cause severe harm to the aquaculture industry, according to Zhang Lifeng, a scientist at Beijing Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau's animal testing laboratory.