The laws are on the books, even if they are overridden by a repeal later. You have to wonder about the events that led the officials of Lyme Regis, Dorset, England to ban slapping people with eels.
Residents of Lyme Regis, Dorset, are no longer lawfully permitted to slap each other with a 5-foot-long conger eel. It’s officially known as ‘conger-cuddling’ or ‘doing the conger’, and the game — which involves knocking opponents off of a platform by swinging the dead fish at them — was both wildly popular in the community and a source of funding for a local lifeboat charity for 32 years. Despite its long history and general appeal, ‘doing the conger’ was banned in 2006 after an animal rights group complained that the game was disrespectful to dead animals.
Imagine a few friends sitting around one day long ago and deciding this would be a fun thing to do. I bet there was alcohol involved. Anyway, this is just one of seven weird things that cities have banned that you can read about at mental_floss. Link