Eel fishing

All eel fishing is prohibited at sea, rivers and lakes in Iceland, except with permission issued by the Directorate of Fisheries for domestic use only.

If eels are caught when fishing for salmon or trout, they must be released. All sales of Icelandic eel and eel products are prohibited.

The application period for the Directorate of Fisheries permission for eel fishing for domestic use is within the period of 1st of March to 1st of April each year.

Applications for eel fishing for domestic use are sent to the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute for review before a decision is made on issuing of permittion.

Permissions are subject to the conditions that all catches are recorded and that annual reports on eel fishing efforts and catches are sent to the Directorate of Fisheries.