Think this is something we should fight.

Chris is this for real! what planet are they on its only us eel anglers that are passionate about eels 24/7, who looks after the eels best interests at the end of these do gooders dayjobs i am disgusted!

Yes, all eel fishing, commercial and recreational is now prohibited. I am currently seeking a course of action on a number of points.
1. How can angling for eels be banned and yet it is okay to sell eels as bait in tackle shops.
2. Why not allow angling as long as 100% catch and release is practiced. Anyone cught in possession of dead eels would then be liable to prosecution including tackle shops.
3. Has the ban come into force because fishing for eels by design does not generate the income that Salmon atc generate. After all Salmon and Sea Trout are in decline yet it is okay to fish for them and kill them,

These are a few points i am going to raise. Trouble is up here everyone is Salmo - centric. I think this ban has not been thought through enough and am not aware of any angling bodies being consulted.

how do they intend to enforce a recreational eel angling ban? who can say who is or is not fishing for eels and not for other speicies?

This may be the case in Southern Scotland as there are many more coarse fish. In the North we are limited to maiinly Salmonids. I think it has also been pointed out that anglers who catch Eels by accident when fishing for other species would probably not be prosecuted. Trouble is most of these are the anglers that treat the Eel with contempt. It has also been pointed out that awreness and education programmes need to be in place so anglers know how to handle and treat the Eel.
My experiences in fisheries management and knowledge of peoples attititudes up here lead me to think that Eels will still be killed or abused regardles simply because the don't have an adipose fin like Trout or Salmon. They are seen as a nuisance species.
I have volunteered my services to educate etc but as yet this has fallen on deaf ears.

Have contacted Scottish Federation of Coarse Anglers and they are also going to oppose.