23,000 rare glass eels released into River Kennet in Environment Agency restocking pilot project

A research project has seen 23,000 rare eels transferred into the River Kennet.

The innovative pilot restocking project aims to boost glass eel numbers in the Berkshire chalk stream.

The protected species has swapped the River Severn for nine different locations along the Kennet.

The populations and their development will now be monitored by the Environment Agency’s fisheries specialists, which released the 22,914 eels in late April.

Peter Gray, Environment Agency fisheries team leader, said: “We are working hard to address the many struggles that eels face and are taking action to safeguard this critically endangered species.

“Over the coming months and years, we will closely monitor the released eels to see how they are surviving and growing.

“Eventually we want to discover whether this type of management produces more eels going out to sea to breed.”

The Environment Agency said that eels are born in the Sargasso Sea in the north Atlantic Ocean and from there, float in their larval form on ocean currents towards Europe – a journey of more than 3,000 miles over two years.

“Once they reach the coast, they turn into transparent glass eels (up to 8cm long) and then elvers (up to 12cm long) swimming upstream into rivers,” it explained.

“Here they live for around six-10 years as juveniles/sub-adult (yellow eels), before swimming downstream and eventually returning to the Sargasso Sea as mature adults to breed (silver eels).”

The eel population has been in decline across Europe since the 1980s, the agency added, with over-fishing, habitat loss, parasites and climate change all potential reasons.

The Environment Agency also took the opportunity to remind anglers that it is the income from rod licences that allows it to continue its “vital work” on fisheries management programmes.

Any angler aged 13 or over, fishing on a river, canal or still water needs a licence to fish.

A one-day licence costs from just £7.10, and an annual licence currently costs from just £35.80 (concessions available).

Junior licences are free for 13- to 16-year-olds.

Licences are available from www.gov.uk/get-a-fishing-licence or by calling the Environment Agency on 0344 800 5386 between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday.