Ban on eel fishing reviewed

IN the days when youngsters spent seemingly endless time fishing for brown trout, they would sometimes catch an eel, of which there was a plentiful supply in our lakes and rivers.

That has not been the case for many years.

Every other day, there are reports of species of wildlife being threatened with extinction. Ireland is no exception and soon a decision will be made on whether to lift a ban on eel fishing in the Republic, imposed for obvious reasons in 2009. By 2009, eels had become a ‘critically endangered’ species, according to the EU, and it was decided to prohibit fishing until Jun 2012 when the situation would be reviewed.