European Eel

Anguilla anguilla

DE: Aal

2 · Endangered

Maximum Size: 130 cm
Waters: 27

Distinguishing Features

Snake-like elongated body with small scales, long dorsal and anal fins, pale belly and dark back.

Habitat

Rivers, lakes, ponds and canals; active at night, hiding in mud or among stones during the day.

Red List Germany

2 · Endangered

Strongly declining or already greatly reduced in Germany.

Eels do not breed in freshwater, so Germany assesses them in the marine Red List.

Marine Red List:: Thiel et al. 2025 · Rote-Liste-Zentrum
IUCN global:: CR · Critically Endangered

Fishing rules by federal state

Can I keep it?

Federal state	Minimum size	Closed season	Notes
Baden-Württemberg	50 cm	15 Sep – 1 Mar	Applies only to the Rhine and its catchment. Does not apply to Lake Constance, which has its own rules.
Bavaria	50 cm	1 Oct – 31 Dec	Applies only in the Elbe, Rhine and Weser basins. Districts may set different rules.
Berlin	50 cm	none	At most 3 eels and zander combined per person and day.
Brandenburg	50 cm	none	At most 3 fish per day. At most 3 eels per day with rod and line.
Bremen	45 cm	none
Hamburg	45–75 cm	none	At most 3 fish per day. Harvest slots: only fish between the minimum and maximum size may be kept.
Hesse	50–70 cm	15 Sep – 1 Mar	Harvest slots: only fish between the minimum and maximum size may be kept.
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern	50 cm	1 Dec – 28 Feb	The closed season applies to rod and line only. Values for inland waters; coastal waters have their own ordinance.
Lower Saxony	35 cm	none	28 cm in the districts of Leer, Aurich, Friesland, Wittmund, Ammerland, Wesermarsch, Cuxhaven, Stade and in Emden and Wilhelmshaven. Values for inland waters; coastal waters have their own rules.
North Rhine-Westphalia	50 cm	none	Closed 1 Oct – 1 Mar in the main Rhine channel only.
Rhineland-Palatinate	50 cm	none	Many waters (incl. Rhine, Mosel, Lahn) have additional closed seasons.
Saarland	50 cm	none	Night fishing is prohibited.
Saxony	50 cm	none	1 Feb – 30 Apr: fishing with predator baits is prohibited.
Saxony-Anhalt	50 cm	none	The fisheries authority may allow different minimum sizes for individual waters.
Schleswig-Holstein	50 cm	none	Values for inland waters; coastal waters have their own ordinance.
Thuringia	50 cm	1 Nov – 28 Feb	At most 2 fish per day. At most 2 eels per day with rod and line.

Compare all states

Statewide rules for anglers as of 24 Oct 2026, without guarantee. Clubs and waters can set stricter rules; the ordinance text is binding.

Waters

Native

Expected in these federal states

Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thuringia

Expected occurrence, modelled from each water's fish zones, habitat type and the federal states the species lives in, and checked against GBIF records — not a record of observations.