Dr Polly Bown, Dr Tony Bark and Beth Williams pulling in a fyke net

The European Eel (Anguilla anguilla) is an incredibly important, but often under-valued species in the Atlantic Area. It is essential to the economic viability of small-scale coastal fishing in Europe as well forming part of the traditional fishing economy in the UK.

The eel, like the salmon, lives alternately in freshwater and seawater, but opposite to the salmon the eel spends its adult life (yellow eel stage) in freshwater then swims down river where it is thought to migrate out to the Sargasso Sea to breed (silver eel stage). This mass spawning produces vast numbers of larvae, which drift/swim with the ocean currents across the Atlantic. These larvae will then reach the European coastline where they metamorphose and move up into the rivers during the spring (elver stage).

Recently there has been a massive decline in the number of eels arriving at European Rivers. Eel status was recently defined in the reports of the ICES/EIFAC working group as ‘outside safe biological limits’ with critical situations mainly in Northern Europe. This decline has been linked to factors in the freshwater environment including changing land use and increased numbers of impassable barriers as well as factors in the marine environment such as long-term alteration of the currents that young eels rely on to make their journey from the Sargasso Sea.

Due to this decline in eel populations across Europe, the Trust has joined a pan-European partnership to attempt to provide a global solution to a global issue. This partnership is running a project called INDICANG, which will examine and gather data concerning eel populations across the Atlantic Arc. Little is known about this elusive creature, so the first aim of the project is to establish a monitoring system that can be used in rivers throughout Europe. Not only will the project focus on the eel numbers themselves, but will also investigate changing land use over time, fishing pressure, migration barriers and other factors that influence the freshwater stage of the eel life cycle. This information can then be collated, assessed and disseminated to those involved in the management of eel populations.

Elver trap at Slapton Ley Nature Reserve

INDICANG was launched in April 2004, and is now led within the Trust by Toby Russell who will be working closely with our European partners to create a conservation strategy for this creature whose presence has for many years has been largely taken for granted. We are delighted that the Environment Agency have also joined forces with us at a national level, and their assistance is largely being co-ordinated by Miran Aprahamian who is not only a leading expert on eels, but also the principal fisheries scientist for the Agency. We have also been working closely with the Eel Research Group based at Kings College, London who are providing expert advice and practical support.

Progress of the project since April 2004 has included gathering data on eel population for a number of South-West Rivers. This data has been used to target various eel sampling strategies looking at the three life history stages of the eel; elver, yellow and silver eels. We are currently establishing eel monitoring at Slapton Ley and the catchment surrounding the Ley, through the support and assistance of the Field Studies Council. It is also intended at this stage to focus on the Tamar, Camel and Fowey catchments in Cornwall. To examine the different life history stages of the eel requires a variety of different methods for their capture such as elver traps and fyke netting. Eels that have been captured can provide information concerning their length, weight and numbers which gives an indication on the health of the population within the river. As well as these surveys, information about eel numbers, sizes etc. from anglers is also vital to the project and helps towards learning more about this creature within our rivers.

Indicang Project Update - An elver trap established at Slapton Ley

The European project Indicang is about to enter its second year of operation and has already produced a number of close associations and established a novel eel monitoring scheme.

Through the Westcountry Rivers Trust’s links with Dr Tony Bark and Beth Williams from the eel research group based at King’s College London, Dr Brian Knights based at Westminster University, Slapton Ley National Nature Reserve and the Environment Agency we have now established a successful elver trap (pictured) at Slapton Ley. This trap encourages migrating elvers to move up through the green brush and drop into the collecting vessel. These elvers can then be counted and measured, thus providing us with information about these new eel recruits of Slapton Ley and its surrounding rivers.

How you can help?
The elver is just one life history stage of the eel on which we hope to gain information. We are also very interested in gaining information on the adult population of eels across Devon and Cornwall as so little is known about this creature. If you are a fisherman who catches eels, either intentionally or incidentally you can contribute to the project by filling out an eel recording form. Click here to open a printable version of the form (253kb PDF). All answers will be treated in strictest confidence.

Although we would prefer forms to be completed with as much detail as possible, even partially completed forms may yield valuable information.

Please return all completed forms to:
Toby Russell
The Westcountry Rivers Trust
10 Exeter Street
Launceston
Cornwall
PL15 9EQ

If you would like to know more about this project including how to contribute, please contact Toby Russell or follow links to the websites listed below.

Web links:
Indicang Website - www.ifremer.fr/indicang
Slapton Ley National Nature Reserve - www.slnnr.org.uk