Last week our Restoring River Habitat team have repairing an eel pass on the River Clywedog. The European eel is an amazing and enigmatic species that hatches somewhere out in the Sargasso Sea, yet finds its way to our rivers to grow to adulthood. An eel may remain in its chosen river for over 20 years before it becomes ready to return to the Sargasso Sea to breed.

Sadly, the European eel is now critically endangered, having declined by 90-95% in the last 45 years. This is mostly due to habitat loss and barriers preventing upstream migration. That’s where eel passes come in. They can be really simple in design – they just need to provide a suitable climbing surface, and the eels will do the rest! See one in action in this feel-good video from South Cumbria Rivers Trust bit.ly/2RkDOp7