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| Stream dipping in the Bickham Stream, Prislow Woods |
I was only slightly late arriving at Prislow Woods and the
sound of excited children guided me towards a spot where the stream dipping was
already in full swing. A group of parents were gathered on a bank with the
children in the stream using nets to explore the water. Suddenly a roar of
excitement came from upstream, an eel had been caught. A group of children came
splashing down to deliver their prize to County ecologist Bruce Forest who was
leading the event. All eyes watched as the eel was transferred to the finds
tray and began to swim around.
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| This eel could spend 20 years in the stream before return to the sea |
This wonderful creature had begun life in the Sargasso sea
on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. Emerging from an egg the larvae can
take three years to drift across the ocean to the UK, a distance of 4,000 miles.
As the larvae approach the coast they develop into glass eels, then entering
freshwater they darken and become elvers. Eels can spend up to twenty years in
rivers and streams growing into mature adults before undertaking a one way
journey back to the Sargasso sea to reproduce.
The European eel is listed as Critically Endangered, the
number of glass eels arriving in Europe has fallen by 95% over the last forty
years. So finding several juveniles in the Bickland stream highlights the
importance of the conservation work being carried out by several local community groups
to safeguard the stream. The Prislow wood group is hoping to receive training
from the South West Rivers Trust that
will allow them to monitor the water quality in the stream.
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| County ecologist Bruce Forest led the stream dipping |
Finding the eel was also significant as they have not been
recorded in Falmouth before according to the National Biodiversity Network Map,
see below. So not only did the children have plenty of fun that day, they also
contributed valuable citizen science data.
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| NBN map showing records for the European Eel (Anguilla anguilla) |
The stream dipping was organised by the community group #prislowwoods who carry out conservation work such as the removal of non-native invasive species in the woods. For more information visit
their Facebook page at, https://www.facebook.com/groups/962446477276694/
Special thanks to Jennifer Carter for permission to use her photographs.
