Northern Ireland unveils £700k rescue package for Lough Neagh eel fishers hit by three-year closure

From the Newshound archive · first published 25 September 2026 · last updated 26 September 2026.

The three-year ban on yellow/brown eel fishing at Lough Neagh from 2026 could cost up to 81 permit holders and five specialist hauliers as much as 70% of their income. Under the £700,000 Lough Neagh Eel Fishery Transition Scheme, fishers will be compensated for half their lost earnings, based on their best commercial year from 2022, 2023 or 2024. Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir was clear that the package is a bridge to a sustainable future, not a decommissioning scheme.

European eel populations at Lough Neagh have been in decline since 1983, with habitat degradation, climate change and over-fishing all identified as contributing factors.

Muir acknowledged the conservation measures 'will have a significant impact' on fishers and their families who have worked the lough for generations.

The scheme aims to retain the specialist skills and vessels needed to restart a sustainable fishery once stocks recover.