Any person wishing to capture silver eels by means of a fixed engine requires an authorisation under Part VIII of the Fisheries (Consolidation) Act, 1959, as amended, and also a licence from the local regional fisheries board.
The main conservation measure to allow the escapement of silver eels from Irish rivers during harvesting is the requirement that operators of fixed engines must provide a free gap in the deepest part of the river not less than one tenth of the width of the river, in accordance with section 107 of the aforesaid Act.
There are three permanent eel traps in the river Shannon. The number of licences granted annually for each of the years 1991 to 1997 for the capture of silver eels is as follows:
Silver Eel Licences