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FISH GUIDE · Freshwater / Sea

European eel: identification, habitat and fishing guide

Anguilla anguilla

European eel reproduces at sea after growing in fresh or brackish water. Different stages and habitats are subject to different rules; in Seine-Normandie, recreational sea fishing is prohibited at every stage. No technique is recommended here. For the 2025–2026 season, the Deux-Sèvres prefecture reports a freshwater recreational closure on 31 July 2026, without extending an earlier local opening; check any earlier closure. In Gard, the 2026 order closes glass-eel fishing throughout the year and likewise closes yellow- and silver-eel fishing, subject to the specific authorisations indicated for the latter two stages; this departmental framework does not describe other basins.

Catalogue names : Anguille. Forms and names may vary between habitats.

Editorial review : · This species guide is not permission to fish. Read the precautions below and check the current rules for your location before targeting a species. Some species or populations are protected.

Geographical distribution

Native to European and North African Atlantic, Baltic and Mediterranean coasts and drainages, also the Black Sea. Spawning is associated with the Sargasso Sea. Introductions outside this range and migration barriers alter local occurrence.

  • Native range : Atlantic Europe and North Africa
  • Native range : Baltic, Mediterranean and Black Seas
  • Native range : Sargasso Sea spawning area

Documented areas, not an exhaustive list. Presence in a region does not imply presence in every water body or permission to fish.

Distribution sources

Identification

An eel-shaped body, continuous dorsal, tail and anal fins, pectoral fins present and pelvic fins absent. The dorsal fin starts well behind the pectorals, unlike in conger eel. The Pyrénées-Atlantiques federation describes silvering by enlarged eyes, a dark back, a whitish belly and a distinct lateral line; size alone does not determine the stage.

Habitat

Rivers, still waters, estuaries and coastal waters, tolerating changes in salinity. Occupied habitats do not define where fishing would be permitted.

Diet

An opportunistic carnivore: fish, crustaceans, worms and other invertebrates. Eels on their spawning migration stop feeding.

Behaviour

The yellow phase is a growth stage; silvering accompanies departure on the spawning migration to sea. Stage cannot be inferred from size alone.

Indicative biological size

The Vendée angling federation gives an average size below 45 cm for males and 80 cm for females; sex-dependent descriptive values with no legal meaning.

Fishing context and precautions

Identification and protection sheet: no targeted fishing is proposed. After an incidental capture, identify the stage and the rules for the site without relying on size alone; follow its release, logbook or reporting obligations. Avoid prolonged photography and any further capture to examine the eyes. The Pêchedex logbook does not replace official documents.

A distinctive feature

The eel’s leptocephalus larva is leaf-shaped before transforming into a glass eel.

Sources and review

Each reference includes its access date. Overall editorial review: . Local conditions and regulations may change.

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