Eel Population on a Slippery Slope as Numbers Fall by 95%

Environment Agency Wales (EAW) are playing their part in a European-wide drive to increase the low numbers of eels in Welsh rivers by building eel passes and considering new byelaws to protect them from over fishing.

The eel population across the northern hemisphere has seen a dramatic fall since 1970.

Stephen Carter, leading on the project for EAW, said:

‘Eels are an important part of the wildlife in our rivers and we have seen an alarming decline in recent years. Part of the problem is they cannot get past the man made weirs that were built during our industrial past.

‘Now, using these special ladders, they can get past these weirs and reach the wetlands and habitats upstream where they can mature and thrive.

‘We are working to improve access, restock rivers and control how many are taken and hope to see their numbers grow. Eels are a major part of the diet of wildlife like otters, herons and bitterns and form an integral part of the Welsh ecosystem.’

Contact Curig Jones on 029 2046 6251 or curig.jones@environment-agency.gov.uk.

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