New rules which will prohibit the commercial fishing of eels from saltwater sources in Denmark will come into effect from 01 October 2023
The Danish Government has introduced new legislation which will prohibit commercial fishing of eels from salt water sources from 01 October 2023.
On 31 March 2023, a new executive order on eel fishing in salt water came into force.
The executive order stipulates a ban on commercial fishing of eels in salt water from and including 01 October 2023 to and including 31 March 2024, as well as recreational fishing until and including 31 December 2023.
According to the new rules, there will be a ban on landing eels during the closure period and a ban on storing live eels in e.g. hut trays, storage trays and the like. If eels are caught during the closure period, these must be immediately re-released.
In addition, the new rules have also introduced a ban on recreational fishing (recreational fishing and angling) of eels in salt water for the rest of the year, i.e. that eels may not be fished until and including 31 December 2023. If eels are caught in recreational fishing, they must be released immediately and may neither be stored nor brought ashore.