Commercial eel fishing in German waters of the North and Baltic seas will be banned for six months from September as the population declines and the animals are increasingly endangered, DPA said. 

The solution was agreed between the ministry of agriculture and the coastal German states. 

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According to European law, any ban must be for a minimum of six months.

Denmark and Sweden have already announced similar measures for the same period. 

The ban, which also covers the by-catch of eels in fishing nets, will not be permanent.

Fishing, which is important in the country, will begin as soon as the population is restored. 

"Eel fishing is an important source of income for many places in Germany and a factor in tourism," said Parliamentary State Secretary Claudia Müller. 

Amateur fishing of eels has already been banned by the EU until March.

/SS/