Eels

[nightshade]

While watching some film taken by an ROV in weir pools around the Thames water area,I was suprised at the abscence of eels,I am told that they are in serious decline (along with Cod!) and have been for over 20 years due to commercial overfishing along with theadditional handicap of the gulf stream slowing

[Airehead]

Does that mean overfishing of eels (I dudn't know we ate so many) or is it a side effect of general overfishing?

[AndyC]

The only commercial eel fishing that I am aware of is the elver fishing on the Severn and the Somerset levels (does anyone know of elver fisheries in other regions?). Most of these elvers are exported I think. On many weirs in the south there were eel traps to catch adult eels migrating to sea but these are hardly ever used now, the only one I know of is derilict.

It is difficult to see how this local fishery could affect eel stocks over the whole country. In the North of Scotland for instance the elver run on the river Brora was said to number millions. Up until the 1980's the margins of the river between Loch Brora and the sea were said to turn blue at the peak of the run, and then suddenly the numbers crashed. According to the old fishing books (elvers make good bait) Scottish estuaries were full of elvers in the spring, yet I have never seen one when I have been up there. But there never was as far as I know a major Scottish elver fishery.

I read in the New Scientist the other day that the latest research shows the Gulf Stream isn't slowing down

It is all a bit of a mystery.

Andy

[honeybee]

You see the elvering where I walk by the Severn, I don't think they catch as much as they used to.

[Tiggrx]

I saw an eel this year in the River Thames at Hampton Court. Unfortunately it was in the process of disappearing down a cormorant's throat...

[aeshna5]

Originally Posted by Tiggrx

I saw an eel this year in the River Thames at Hampton Court. Unfortunately it was in the process of disappearing down a cormorant's throat...

It's interesting you say that, because virtually every time I see an Eel it's disappearing down either the throat of Cormorant or Heron. The other fish on the Thames I regularly see these birds eating, and occasionally struggling with, is the Flounder.

[Lincs Yellowbelly]

I remember watching a Cormarant trying to swallow and Eel for 10 minutes last year

They don't seem to be around in the same numbers in rivers as they have been in the past, there are still plenty around in lakes. What alot of people don't realise is that Eels are very slow growing, an Eel grows around 1lb every 10 years, and they can grow to 10lb this only happens when they get land locked though and can't migrate.

So much is still unknown about Eels, i don't believe they know 100% that they go to the Sargaso sea.

[shyfx]

I read somewhere about 1 of the reasons the eels are being affected is because of a swim bladder parasite that came out of Japanese eels.Having said that i don't know what Japanese eels would be doing here but it sounded a reasonable explanation.

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by honeybee

You see the elvering where I walk by the Severn, I don't think they catch as much as they used to.

doesn't really suprise me, the elver fishing along the Severn seems almost frenzied, sooo many people with large nets intent on making hundreds from their catch, I don't see how any species can withstand that level of harvest esp if it happens everywhere they return.
The attitude seems to be let's catch as much as we can while the stocks are still there - rather than let's catch less so the stocks can recover

[AndyC]

Originally Posted by Gill Catton

doesn't really suprise me, the elver fishing along the Severn seems almost frenzied, sooo many people with large nets intent on making hundreds from their catch, I don't see how any species can withstand that level of harvest esp if it happens everywhere they return.

But they have not been fished for everywhere they return, and yet the decline has occured everywhere.

Originally Posted by shyfx

I read somewhere about 1 of the reasons the eels are being affected is because of a swim bladder parasite that came out of Japanese eels.Having said that i don't know what Japanese eels would be doing here but it sounded a reasonable explanation.

The arrival of an alien parasite rather than overfishing fits better with the sudden widespread decline. A google of 'eel swim bladder parasites' will bring up some interesting information for those with an interest in these horrid creatures (eels that is, I expect the parasites are quite sweet).

Andy