Connecting eel fishing
for UNESCO listing

International cooperation for the eel fishing cultural heritage

Eel fishing along the Skåne Eel Coast is a centuries-old tradition and since 2015 it has been listed as an intangible cultural heritage in Sweden. Now, the Eel Coast Cultural Heritage Association wants to take the next step by building an international cooperation with eel fishers in Denmark and France.

The project includes study trips to the Roskilde Fjord in Denmark and the Loire Valley in France. There, eel fishers from the three countries will meet to share knowledge and experiences about the history of fishing, traditions, tools, methods, and how eel has been prepared as food. Together, they will also document the local eel fishing traditions.

An important goal is to help the Danish and French eel fishers with knowledge about how their traditions can be included in each country's national list of intangible cultural heritage. This, in turn, is a prerequisite for Sweden, Denmark, and France to later prepare a joint application to UNESCO's international list of good examples of how intangible cultural heritage can be preserved. However, the UNESCO application itself is not included in the project.

Through international exchange of experiences, the project aims to strengthen knowledge about eel fishing as cultural heritage and create long-term contacts between eel fishers in the three countries. The hope is also that the cooperation will contribute to increased attention to both the eel as a species, the traditions of eel fishing, and the Skåne food culture.

The board's assessment

Decision date: 2026-09-08
Total selection criteria: 855 points
The board's justification: The board assesses that the project, through international experience exchange and network building, in a preliminary study, strengthens the conditions for long-term preservation and development of eel fishing as an intangible cultural heritage with strong local anchoring in eastern Skåne. The project creates new international collaborations and knowledge exchange that can contribute to a future joint UNESCO application while simultaneously enhancing the visibility of the local culture and food culture.