That’s very kind, thank you.

I’m trying to rediscover my social media mojo, I don’t seem to be posting as often as I used to.

Yes. The lifecycle of the eel is just incredible. They deserve a much better welcome when they reach our shores.

Thank you for taking the time to respond. I’ll start with the hashtag plan and see if we can find more likeminded folks. 👍

I’ll post some Severn eel stuff over the weekend and see if we can get something going. #eels

Yes!! That would be fabulous but I wouldn’t have a clue how to create one.

There will certainly be elvers in the river in March/April/early May, please get in touch around then and I can give some details.

If you’re over Gloucestershire way next spring, please drop me a message. I took a couple of people out to see them early this year.

We need to find better solutions, until that happens assisted migration (capture on the river side/release on the stream side) is a must. Last year myself a friend and I were given permission for one stream, next year we want more. Eels deserve better. 4/4

Sadly, we have found a way to stop them and they can no longer become dispersed among many the streams, brooks and ditches on the river. Tidal flood (clapper) gates, sit on the entrances to almost all of the streams which meet the river, blocking their access to hundreds of miles of waterways. 3/4

This description of the arrival of elvers into the river from The Journal of the Society of Arts 1879 is wonderful.
It ends, “nothing seems to stop them; they go onward and onward, over weirs, rocks, or any obstruction, until at last they become dispersed among the brooks and tributaries.”2/4

It’s so depressing to see how far they have declined. The fishery played a part in that but certainly isn’t the main factor. Sadly I can’t see us doing enough to reverse the trend.

It’s easily the greatest book written on the Severn! Brian Waters understands the people, the customs and the wonder of the river. His writing on the lave netting is magical.

Looking forward to following your adventures here!

Next time that I’m down that way I’ll have to have a look.

What a fabulous picture! I was chatting with a Cardiff based coracle maker at the March for Clean Water, hopefully meeting up with him again sometime soon.

Thanks Andrew.

Outside of salmon fishing season shrimps are my main target (a forgotten local delicacy) but I’ll happily waffle on about anything that swims in, walks by, floats on or crosses over the gorgeous Severn estuary. I hope some of you find it interesting. 5/5