South Downs National Park sets up 'eel lanes' in rivers

These lanes are aimed at helping the European eel's remarkable 4,000-mile transatlantic journey from the Sargasso Sea.

The initiative has been launched by the park authority, in collaboration with the Western Sussex Rivers Trust, with the aim of safeguarding the habitat of the eel in the Rother and Ems rivers.

A key component of the project is the installation of "fish passes" around man-made structures in the rivers.

These narrow lanes of water will provide eels with a way around artificial barriers like dams and weirs.

Additionally, eel brushes, which are strips of bristles, will be added at new water control structures in RSPB Pulborough Brooks and Pagham Harbour to aid the eels in their upstream manoeuvre.

The project has been launched by the park authority, which is working with the Western Sussex Rivers Trust to protect the habitat of the eel in the Rother and Ems rivers. (Image: Jeff Travis/Western Sussex Rivers Trust/PA Wire) A spokesman for the national park said: "The migration of these eels is quite extraordinary as they undergo several metamorphoses during their lives.

"Spawning in the Sargasso Sea, off the coast of Bermuda, the eel eggs hatch into wriggling pea-sized larvae that have the appearance of a see-through leaf.

"The end of their lives sees a fantastic finale. Entering the ‘silver eel’ stage, their pectoral fins widen, muscle mass increases, their digestive tracts shut down and their eyes grow up to 10 times their original size, all to help see them through one final swim.

"Fighting their way back against strong currents, silver eels head 4,000 miles back across the Atlantic to the Sargasso Sea to spawn."

Eel brushes – strips of bristles – are also being added at new water control structures in RSPB Pulborough Brooks and Pagham Harbour. (Image: Chris Wallis/Western Sussex Rivers Trust/PA Wire) Aimee Felus, chief executive of the Western Sussex Rivers Trust, said: "By removing man-made structures which limit how easily fish species, including the extraordinary eel, can move around, we are helping improve migration routes and their ability to reach better feeding spots."

She also emphasised the importance of river health in the face of pollution, sewage, and drought.

"The health of our rivers here in the South East is crucial to the quality of our coastal waters, and vital to the health of the many creatures who call these fresh and salt waters home."

Jan Knowlson, biodiversity officer for the South Downs National Park, said: "Here at the South Downs National Park, we have eight large river systems, dozens of chalk streams and a sizeable coastline and know that having well-managed, cleaner waterways are absolutely paramount to nature bouncing back across this vast region."