In particular current factors that are causing loss or decline are: Pollution of watercourses, especially by PCBs. Insufficient prey associated with poor water quality. Impoverished bankside habitat features needed for breeding and resting. Incidental mortality, primarily by road deaths and drowning in eel traps.
Its distribution includes; Algeria, Belarus, China, Estonia, India, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Russia, Syria and Tunisia.