Lough Neagh Fisheries Visitors Centre

About

Lough Neagh is home to the largest wild eel fishery in Europe and also supports sustainable stocks of other high quality freshwater species including pollan, perch and dollaghan trout.

Lough Neagh Eel was granted EU Protected Name (PGI) status in 2011, the first product from Northern Ireland to receive the accreditation and in 2018 Lough Neagh Pollan was granted a similar accreditation (PDO). Local fishermen use traditional and sustainable practices passed down through the generations to bring the award-winning produce to consumers across Europe.

The Co-operative’s newly opened Visitors Centre is proving very popular with local and international tourists with its informative insight into the fishing industry on the Lough and the species found there including the epic 6,000 km migration of eels to and from the Sargasso Sea in the North Atlantic Ocean. The Co-operative is keen to expand into hotels and restaurants across the UK and Ireland.

Eels can be purchased at the Co-operative’s headquarters in Toomebridge but pre-ordering is necessary for fresh product during season (May to Nov). Frozen eel product is available at all times. Fresh product of other species depends on seasonality but frozen produce is available. You can taste them in a range of restaurants and can be ordered through larger food distributors to the catering industry.

Public pre-booked tours take place on the last Friday of each month. If you are an individual or a smaller group of 2-5 people then we advise that you book into our public pre-booked tour.

The length of the tour can vary depending on the type of tour you have selected. We recommend that tour groups allow 1 hour and 30 minutes for their visit, allowing sufficient time to enjoy the experience.