Fisheries regulation

European :  
France is part of the European Union, so the management of fish species is at the European level. The European Commission, on the advice of a working group of scientists, decides the regulation that will be applied to all Member States, with the aim of ensuring the protection and sustainable exploitation of stocks.
To face with the decline of the European eel stock, European Regulation EC No 1100/2007 was adopted requiring Member States to establish a Management Plan to reduce anthropogenic mortality. The recreational fishing then authorized is prohibited and the professional fishing reduced.

French regulation  
The French' Eel Management Plan was adopted in 2010, fundamentally changing the fishery of all stages of this species.
By now, each year a national fishing quota is calculated on the basis of the opinions of a Scientific Committee and a socio-economic Committee composed of professionals and after a public consultation. It is calculated so as to allow the fish stocks to be renewed and the fishermen to continue their activity. The quota is defined jointly by the Ministry of Ecological and Solidarity Transition in charge of river professionals fishermen and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food in charge of maritime professionals fishermen. This quota is divided between maritime professionals and river professionals, then between the Eel Management Units based on their historical catches (also known as anteriorities).

The quota of an EMU is then distributed between the professionals having a fishing authorization (CMEA license on the maritime side and right to catch glass eel on the river side).
Then, after each tide, professionals must record the quantities captured on registers, which the sheets are sent to the State services in the days following the fishing. Fishermen can only land at the landing points recognized by the Administration.

Trade regulation

International :  
European eel was listed in Appendix II of CITESan international agreement which control international trade in species listed on its appendices to protect them from over-exploitation. In 2010 glass eels can’t be sold outside the Europe anymore