Scientist hopeful for the future of eels as Ely celebrates

As Ely in Cambridgeshire celebrates its annual Eel Festival this weekend, what is the future of the now critically endangered fish that gives the town its name?

Eels are no longer found in the numbers they once were in the Great Ouse River in Cambridgeshire.

Historically, the fish was a staple of the local diet and also provided a valuable source of income for the fishing industry.

This was in large part due to the popularity of jellied eel as a dish, with customers regularly traveling from all over the country to Ely to sample it.

From Saturday to Monday the city celebrates that heritage during the annual Eel Festival with a series of events including stalls, reenactments, song and dance.

But stocks in the River Great Ouse have now dwindled and the city’s last commercial eel catcher retired in 2014.

Populations of the European eel, which is seen as an important indicator of the health of waterways and freshwater habitats, have been declining for decades and the fish is classified as a critically endangered species.

Scientist David Righton, who studies the fish, said he was hopeful about its future.

European Union regulations aimed at protecting eel stocks, which have declined by 95% since the 1980s, came into force almost a decade ago.

Dr. Righton works for the Center for Environmental Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), which has a base in Lowestoft, Suffolk.

Dr. Righton said: ‘There have been many ecological changes and fluctuations over the course of their evolution.

“Over time, they have undergone a series of very important ecological changes on large geographical scales.

“They are a very resilient species on an everyday level. They can survive a very wide range of conditions and are very tolerant of many different extreme environmental conditions.”

Dr. Righton also said eels can live “a very, very long time” and have a “complicated” life cycle.

“There are stories of eels that have lived for more than 100 years,” he said.

“They tend to be very long-lived in general as a freshwater fish species.”

Dr. Righton said Defra’s eel management plan gave hope for the fish.

“The eel management plan has been put in place for decades and the recovery is expected to take decades, rather than seeing an impact very quickly,” he said.

‘I still have a feeling of optimism. We have the right plan ready.

“Maybe in the next 20 years we will see positive changes.”

Dan Hayter, an eel specialist at the Environment Agency, outlined some of the problems eels have faced – and some of the work being done to protect them.

In an online blog, he said barriers, weirs and locks were problematic for eels because they disrupted the natural flow of rivers and could prevent or slow migration.

Loss of habitat was another factor.

He said there was less “connectivity” between wetlands and floodplains.

“Eel passes” have been created, he said, to help eels move from the sea into freshwater habitats and then return as adults.

Mr Hayter said pumping stations could be very damaging.

“The Environment Agency is involved in many natural flood management projects that reduce flooding for people, but also improve eel habitat while improving biodiversity,” he wrote.