Eels are being helped to complete their 3,500 mile journey from the Sargasso Sea to Blagdon Reservoir in Bristol.
There are 95 per cent fewer elvers in UK waters than there were 20 years ago.
In an effort to halt the decrease in population, the Environment Agency
has launched a scheme to ‘trap and transport’ eels that were getting
stuck in a manmade bottleneck where the river Congresbury Yeo meets the
Blagdon Reservoir.
It is hoped the fish will swim into a holding tank overnight before members of Bristol Water staff move them to the reservoir the morning after.
“We know that an eel pass in the right location can have an instant effect,” said Andy Don for the Environment Agency.
“The trap and transport system at Blagdon has already allowed hundreds of eels to get to ideal habitat, where they will live and grow for up to 20 years.”
The eels will stay in Bristol until they’re adults. Once
they’re fully grown they’ll be released to swim the rivers of Europe
and head to Bermuda to spawn.