News from the Environment Agency about a project to better protect eels, a critically endangered species, by learning more about their migration routes. Prehistoric eels travel around 6000 kilometres from Europe across the Atlantic Ocean but exactly where they spawn remains completely unknown. In December, three eels were fitted with satellite tags and released into the Atlantic Ocean. The Environment Agency was joined by the University of the Azores, Zoological Society of London, Defra, Cefas, the University of Hull and DTU-Aqua in the study. At a local level the Environment Agency has installed eel and fish passes at man-made structures that can impede the movement of eels along our waterways as well as requiring screens to be added to abstraction intakes to protect eels and other species.

Making the announcement Environment Agency project lead and researcher Ros Wright said: ‘The European Eel is critically endangered so it is important that we solve the mystery surrounding their complete life-cycle to support efforts to protect the spawning area of this mysterious species.’

Migrating eels are driven to travel vast distances by an innate desire to spawn. We hope that at least one of these three satellite tagged eels will become a superhero to the species by completing the migration lifecycle giving agencies and conservationists around the world the clues needed to protect this iconic species.

This is the first time we’ve been able to capture eels in the Azores and also ones that are large enough to carry satellite tracking tags so everything recorded since the eels started their journey will reveal information about eel migration that has never been known before. Click here to read more