ICH NGO Network

The Eel Coast Cultural Heritage refers to the more than 3000 years old eel fishing tradition in the Southeastern Sweden. At least since the Scandinavoan Bronze Age, eel has been fished for its meat and richness of healthy proteins, Omega 3 and D-vitamines. The traditions along the so called Eel Coast between Åhus and Kivik on the East coast of the landscape Scania, Sweden, are collected by the Eel Coast Cultural Heritage NGO and consist of knowlegde of tools, nets, boats, boat houses, craftmanship, mending of nets and tools, the currents and sea, songs, cooking, oral storytelling.

04-21-2024

Institutional and human capacities	The Eel Coast Cultural Heritage is an NGO and a network of traditional eel fishermen, chefs, researchers, biosphere institutions, museums and other stakeholders.
Transmission and education	The knowledge of the eel, tools, nets, boats, currents, sea and fishing has normally been passed on from father to son for generations. However, the legislation today in Sweden makes it impossible to inherit the license to fish eel, thus making the eel fishermen grow older without any insurance of the ICH being transmitted to any new generation. The eel fishing is a small scale, sustainable, coastal near fishing in accordance with the UN sustainability goals, but is under threat of being extinct by a missled legislation.
Inventorying and research	Museums, research institutes and local biosphere areas are involved in the safeguarding, documentation, inventorying and research about eel and eel fishing traditions. Also a local community based documentation has been conducted. Journalists from all over the world travel to the Eel Coast to make documentary films and articles about the eel and the traditions.
Role of intangible cultural heritage and its safeguarding in society	The eel plays a very important role in local traditions, folklore, history, economic history, present day tourism and economy, food traditions and festivals, etc. This role has been documented and researched on by museums and research institutes, and local politicians and other stakeholders are deeply involved in the safeguarding of the eel fishing and the traditions, together with the eel fishermen and the NGO.
Awareness raising	The eel fishermen and the Eel Coast NGO engage together in awareness raising of the threats to both the eel as a species and the traditions, e.g. the water turbines in hydroelectric plants, the drenshing of wetlands and other habitats to the eel, the environmental toxins, the uncontrolled and increasing number of predators, the legislation preventing eel fishing licenses to be inherited, thus also making it impossible to conduct research about the eel, etc. The eel fishermen and the Eel Coast NGO also engage together in awareness raising of the 3000 years old traditions, the folklore, the food, etc.
Engagement of communities, groups and individuals as well as other stakeholders	The important role of the eel to the local economy has been documented and researched on by museums and research institutes, and local politicians and other stakeholders are deeply involved in the safeguarding of the eel fishing and the traditions, together with the eel fishermen and the NGO.
International engagement	The Eel Coast Cultural Heritage NGO holds the status of an organisation accredited to provide advisory services to the 2003 UNESCO Convention Committee. The organisation also is a member of the ICH NGO Forum - Nordic-Baltic Committee, and works with eel fishermen in Denmark and eel skin tanning tradition holders on Irland. Furthermore, the Eel Coast Cultural Heritage NGO was awarded the status of Ark of Taste, an international trademark of sustainable, traditional slow food.
References	https://bokshop.bod.se/alakusten-en-vandringsledsbok-calle-ericsson-9789151970974 https://bokshop.bod.se/alafiskare-fran-alakusten-minns-9789151970950 https://bokshop.bod.se/al-en-urgammal-matkultur-maria-blombaerg-9789151921037 https://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/ark-of-taste-slow-food/scanian-eel/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJB-nVRW9T8

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