Eel Monitoring Programme

In response to advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) that the European eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) is endangered and that the fishery is unsustainable the EC regulation establishing measures for the recovery of the European eel (Council Regulation 11000/2007) was created. This regulation for the recovery of the eel stock required Ireland to establish an eel management plan to reduce eel mortality and ensure an increase the number of silver eel escaping Ireland to spawn. Irelands management plan involved closure of the fishery, mitigation of hydropower, ensuring upstream eel migration at barriers and improvement in water quality. In June 2009 the EU accepted our national plan as an adequate address to the issues raised in the regulation. The management plan is up for review in 2012.

The eel management plan contains a number of monitoring objectives to ensure compliance with the management actions. Inland Fisheries Ireland was tasked with carrying out these objectives.

  1. Estimate Silver Eel Escapement (in collaboration with ESB, NUIG, Marine Institute)
  2. Estimate silver eel escapement indirectly using yellow eels
  3. Monitor the impact of fishery closure on yellow eel stock structure
  4. Inter-Calibration with Water Framework Sampling
  5. Compare current and historic brown eel stocks
  6. Establish baseline data to track changes in eel stock over time
  7. Evaluate impedance of upstream colonisation: migration and water quality effects.
  8. Determine parasite prevalence and eel quality

IFI works  in collaboration with the following institutions: Marine Institute, ESB/NUIG, DCAL, Loughs Agency, AFBI

Selected Publications

Contribution to the Report of the 2010 session of the Joint EIFAC/ICES Working Groupon Eels. Hamburg 2010
The report on the review of the National Management Plan is due in 2012.

Further Information

Dr. Patrick Gargan (Senior Research Officer)

Dr. Ciara O’Leary (Research Officer)
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Tel: +353 (0)1 884 2600

Video of silver eel