The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

I thought this might be of interest:
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63259738
It's sad that they've declined to such an extent and I think we should be taking great care with any that we are lucky enough to catch.

Fascinating, let's hope that positive conservation moves can be put in place with the new data.

Dave Burr wrote: ↑Sat Oct 15, 2022 9:37 am Fascinating, let's hope that positive conservation moves can be put in place with the new data.

Lets hope so,I won't be holding my breath though.I bumped into an EA survey team on the Chelmer last year.They were concentrating on the Eels and were very pleased with their results,plenty of Eels of varying sizes and good water quality.I have also caught a fair few from the Severn so maybe things are on the up for the Eel.

Good evening fellow friends,the eel does need protection,the difficult step is unhooking what is the safe caring way.our fishing stocks need more protection,l would ban barbed hooks keepnets removing any fish from its habitat,return back to the water straight away,using fish for bait for predators one day the laws will have to change or there will be none left.Fishing is a pleasure and pastime .Terry/Reelmaker.

I personally think, without reading the extract above, that the removing of elvers as a 'crop' does nothing for the eels survival.

The eels severe decline,which happened almost overnight has nothing to do with pleasure anglers and there unhooking methods.
The minnow population crashed in my local rivers at around the same time as the eel population crashed. The trout population in the lower reaches of my local rivers also crashed at the same time. Brown trout have a gene,and that gene allows them to go from fresh water to salt water when there’s not enough feeding in the river. These trout do however run back up the same rivers to spawn before going back to sea. Everything starts from the bottom up. Even the grayling are way down in numbers.
The question is why did these species populations crash. I think the answer is lack of feeding,and if rivers suffer an food problem e.g the insects are lacking,then everything from the minnows up will suffer. Maybe farmers should look back to the late 80s,early 90s to see what changed with fertiliser and any other chemicals that make their way into our river systems. I’m saying this because I remember how quick these fish disappeared in my local rivers.
The truth would open a can of eels.