Here they come again

They’re here! The latest wave of young eels – known as elvers – has finally reached Britain after their long journey across the Atlantic from their spawning ground in the Sargasso Sea.

Regular readers of Fish on Friday will know that we have a fascination with eels and have written various posts about these extraordinary creatures, with particular focus on the remarkable recent turnaround from near extinction to relative abundance – a terrific environmental success story.
Last year saw the biggest population of elvers arriving on our shores in some 30 years, raising hopes for the long-term health of the species. Andrew Kerr, chairman of the Sustainable Eel Group, tells us that more than three million have arrived at the River Parratt and another two million at the River Severn so far this year. “They’re well over one month late,” says Andrew, explaining that the delay is down to the cold spring. “The migration is triggered by warm rainfall. If the water temperature is below 6°C then they the eels don’t travel.”
Although it’s still early days, Andrew predicts that we may see a small dip in numbers. “The last two years have been bumper, but I think we’ll be back to around 2011-2012 levels this year,” he says. But eels move in famously mysterious ways, so it’s really anyone’s guess how many we’ll see, and only the next bore tide will tell. Watch this space – and to find out more about eels in the meantime, check out the Related posts below.
For more information, visit: www.sustainableeelgroup.com.