Islanders requested to report sightings of endangered eels

The European eel has been classified as a species facing a critical threat of extinction.

Two eels are depicted in the water, positioned in the same direction, navigating a submerged tree branch. Their silver skin reflects the surrounding twigs, providing effective camouflage.

Residents of the island have been requested to report any eel sightings to assist in gaining a better understanding of the species.

The Guernsey Nature Commission reported a 95% decrease in the European eel population since the 1980s, primarily attributing this decline to the destruction of freshwater habitats and obstacles preventing access to their inland feeding locations.

The European eel has been registered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species as critically endangered, which is the highest threat category before extinction.

Ecologist Charlotte Burgoine appealed to individuals possessing information about recent or past observations of eels, or knowledge of historical eel habitats, to share it with the Nature Commission.

Charlotte Burgoine stated that environmental DNA analysis was being carried out in the island's ponds and streams.

She explained that European eels exhibit catadromous breeding, meaning they hatch in the Sargasso Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, mature in freshwater environments, and then return to the sea to reproduce.

The ecologist further noted that these eels are powerful swimmers, emerge at night to hunt, and according to some accounts, can reach an age of 80 years.

Burgoine mentioned that the Nature Commission and Guernsey Water were undertaking environmental DNA sampling in the island's freshwater ponds and streams to gather more data on where eels are present.

She observed that freshwater habitats were diminishing due to drainage, land clearing, poor habitat management, and pollution.

This leads to water bodies becoming more fragmented and isolated, potentially hindering the movement of eels between them.

She added that coastal and inland infrastructure, such as pipes and dams, makes it more difficult for returning eels to migrate inland to their feeding grounds.

She expressed a desire for a deeper understanding of the island's eel populations, as these species are experiencing global decline.

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