Mobilizing public support to protect Somerset's final populations of eels
In the picturesque county of Somerset, a unique initiative called the Somerset Eel Recovery Project (SERP) is underway, aiming to bring back the critically endangered European eel from the brink of extinction. The project, founded in the summer of 2023 by Vanessa Becker-Hughes and other residents, has already garnered significant support and made strides in its mission.
The project recently raised £14,000 through a crowdfunding campaign, which will be used to conduct eDNA tests on the River Axe and its surrounding ditches. The tests revealed that while there is evidence of eels in the river, the waterways on either side showed very few or none.
This year, the SERP has planned several activities, including getting permits to catch and release elvers upstream, trialling acoustic monitoring of eel populations, and hosting elver tanks in community settings. Hannah Strode, a primary schoolteacher, has already set up 59 elver tanks in various schools to engage children in learning about European eels.
Vanessa Becker-Hughes, a resident of Somerset, remembers catching up to 200 European eels using a traditional technique called 'rayballing' in the 1970s. However, over her lifetime, the numbers of European eels have fallen by about 95%, due to factors including the drainage of wetlands, food barriers that prevent migration, and water pollution.
The SERP is devising low-cost interim measures, such as using the heritage craft of rush weaving to create barriers for elvers to pass over. Artists and historians collaborating with the project, including Emma Smith and Dr. Keith Williams, are working to restore the "lost connection" between people and European eels.
Becker-Hughes suggests that the eel could become a household symbol of water, similar to how the honey bee is for pollination and clean air. The project has already engaged thousands of local people through a combination of creative outreach and citizen science.
Last summer, the SERP held its first 'eel conference' in Glastonbury, and Andrew Kerr, chairman of the European-wide science and conservation-led Sustainable Eel Group, believes that this indicates that the drainage system and the river system are not being managed as a whole.
Julia Manning, a Somerset artist, created a series of linocuts titled The Decline of Eels, which were used to raise awareness about the threats facing European eels. The project's artistic and historical endeavours are aimed at rekindling the connection between people and these once-common aquatic creatures.
If action is taken to protect eels, Becker-Hughes believes it will benefit many other aquatic species. The children who participated in the elver tank project showed increased excitement and asked deep, resonant questions about the world and the nature of eels. With the support of the community and the dedication of the SERP team, the European eel may yet find a home in the heart of Somerset once more.
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