Elvers given a helping hand to get to Bristol reservoir

Eels transferred to Blagdon Reservoir near Bristol by Environment Agency

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Blagdon Reservoir | Bristol | elvers | eels | Environment Agency

Eels are being helped to complete their 3,500 mile journey from the Sargasso Sea to Blagdon Reservoir in Bristol.

There are 95 per cent fewer elvers in UK waters than there were 20 years ago.

In an effort to halt the decrease in population, the Environment Agency

has launched a scheme to 'trap and transport' eels that were getting

stuck in a manmade bottleneck where the river Congresbury Yeo meets the

Blagdon Reservoir.

It is hoped the fish will swim into a holding tank overnight before members of Bristol Water staff move them to the reservoir the morning after.

"We know that an eel pass in the right location can have an instant effect," said Andy Don for the Environment Agency.

"The trap and transport system at Blagdon has already allowed hundreds of eels to get to ideal habitat, where they will live and grow for up to 20 years."

The eels will stay in Bristol until they're adults. Once

they're fully grown they'll be released to swim the rivers of Europe

and head to Bermuda to spawn.

* Ban on Irish eel fishing

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