UK Statutory Instrument 2009 England and Wales

Eels (England and Wales) Regulations 2009

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At a glance

Enforced by

Environment Agency, NRW

What's here

20 compliance obligations, 2 practical guides across 2 topics

Penalty landscape

12 of 20 obligations carry an unlimited fine. 8 have no criminal penalty — flagged in the list below.

Who this Act binds

Business-side actors with duties under this Act, ranked by how often they appear.

  • Any Person 14
  • Responsible Person 3
  • Applicant 1
  • Operator 1

Plus 1 non-business duty on Crown ministers, regulators, local authorities or tribunals — shown collapsed under each section below.

Relevant guidance

Practical guides for businesses affected by this Act, ordered by how closely they engage with it.

Supporting — topic alignment

1 guides

Mentioned in related content

1 guides

Other Acts binding the same actors

For each actor bound by this Act, the other UK Acts that bind them most often. Useful for understanding the full compliance landscape facing each role.

Any Person also bound by 2338 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Responsible Persons also bound by 104 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Applicants also bound by 294 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Operators also bound by 730 other Acts (top 5 shown)

What this Act requires

Sections that create concrete duties on businesses or carry penalties. Procedural and definitional sections are folded into the “Browse other sections” expander at the bottom of each group. Click any section title to read the source text on legislation.gov.uk.

Part 1 — General

Browse 2 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 2 — Records and restocking

s.004

Records

  • Keep and provide records of young eel transactions Operator
s.005

Imports

  • Record and certify details of imported live eels Any Person
s.006

Exports

  • Record and certify eel exports and verify sustainable sourcing Any Person
s.008

Restocking

Unlimited fine
  • Fail to comply with restocking notice or declaration Any Person
Browse 1 other section in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 3 — Eel Licences

s.010

Close season

Unlimited fine
  • Fish eels during closed season (non‑rod & line) Any Person
Browse 1 other section in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 4 — Passage of eels

s.014

Eel passes

Unlimited fine
  • Comply with Environment Agency notices regarding eel passes Responsible Person
s.017

Eel screens

Unlimited fine
  • Fail to provide or maintain required eel screen Any Person
s.018

By-wash

Unlimited fine
  • Provide a continuous by-wash for eels upstream from screens Responsible Person
s.019

Eel screens and by-wash

Unlimited fine
  • Maintain eel screens and ensure they do not obstruct eels or navigation Responsible Person
Browse 3 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 5 — Notices and appeals

s.023

Notices

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Regulators must provide specific details in eel-related enforcement notices Statutory regulator
s.025

Appeals

  • Appeal a notice regarding eel passes or screens Any Person
Browse 1 other section in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 6 — Enforcement and penalties

s.027

Obstruction

Unlimited fine
  • Obstruct regulator or give false information Any Person
s.028

Penalties

Unlimited fine
  • Breach Eels (England and Wales) Regulations Any Person
Browse 1 other section in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Schedules

s.schedule

Appeals

  • Submit appeal notification and supporting case documents Applicant
Read the full Act on legislation.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)

Official guidance

Authoritative sources published by regulators or government explaining this legislation.

Enforcement and responsible bodies

The regulators that administer or enforce this legislation.

Environment Agency

Primary

Environmental protection in England. Regulates waste, emissions, water quality, flood risk, and environmental permits for industrial activities. Enforces environmental law and issues …

NRW

Natural Resources Wales

Principal environmental regulator for Wales. Combines functions of Environment Agency Wales, Countryside Council for Wales, and Forestry Commission Wales. Issues environmental permits, …

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Browse legislation

Find other UK business legislation with related guidance.

Regulators

Learn more about the bodies that enforce this legislation.