Peter Colman-Smith reports that he had an excellent ‘Eel Day’ with the Somerset Eel Recovery Project where he learned lots about eels. This included the shocking fact that there’s been a 90+% decline in eel numbers since 1970.
Peter also learnt about historical catching methods and that an eel’s lifespan is as long as that of a dog – about 15 years.
He then took part in a workshop on making straw eel ropes. These are temporary structures draped over weirs to help elvers (young eels) migrate upstream. He suggests that the next step is to seek permission to try some of these straw ropes on the Trym.
