Passes installed to help eels move through rivers

Simon Phelps said Somerset is "lucky" to have eels

Endangered eels have been given a boost thanks to a project to help them access the habitat they need to survive.

Twelve eel passes are being installed in the North Moor and King's Sedgemoor areas to help them move around the ditch network of the Somerset Levels wetlands.

The passes act as ladders that allow eels to swim up and over weirs and more easily through the rhynes and ditches.

The project, funded by Natural England, is being carried out by the Parrett Internal Drainage Board. Ecologist, Phil Brewin, said: "We are confident the decline in eel numbers experienced in recent years can be reversed."

The project aims to boost the number of eels in Somerset's rivers

Glass eels swim to Europe from their breeding grounds in the Sargasso Sea.

They arrive in the Severn Estuary in large numbers each spring before swimming inland via the River Brue and River Parrett where they mature ahead of making the return journey.

A big threat to the creatures are manmade structures in watercourses such as weirs that act as a barrier, blocking their movement, but the eel passes allow them to bypass the barriers and complete their journey to new habitats.

The passes act as ladders that allow eels to swim more easily through the rhynes and ditches

Simon Phelps, project lead for Natural England said: "Eels are a fascinating species and we're lucky to have them in Somerset.

"We hope to be able to do more of this type of thing in the future, to make the Levels and Moors a more welcoming place for this special creature."

An eel pass was installed in Nottinghamshire in December and a fish pass on the River Severn in Worcester has allowed rare twaite shad to reach an ancient spawning ground for the first time in 180 years.