(Photo: GerardM, CC BY-SA 3.0)

European eels can be found in many rivers and in marshland drainage ditches in the Stour Catchment, but their numbers have suffered a dramatic decline. This species is now classed as Critically Endangered. They make an extraordinary journey from their home rivers to the Sargasso Sea in the western Atlantic, where they reproduce. Young eels known as ‘Elvers’ then return to rivers to develop. Eels will hunt small fish and insects, but also eat fish eggs and carrion. Because of their endangered status, eels are a focus for conservation work carried out by KSCP and partner organisations like the Environment Agency. This includes creating ‘eel passes’ in flood control structures that would otherwise be a barrier to their migration.