PUPILS from Luckington School are to release baby eels into the Luckington Brook after rearing them for six weeks in their classroom.
The children will be releasing the elvers as part of an ‘Eel in the Classroom’ project lead by Bristol Avon Rivers Trust (BART).
European eels travel all the way from the Sargasso Sea, where they are born, to Europe to feed and grow.
This month, they have taken a few weeks' pit stop in Luckington Primary School.
While the eels are growing in their classroom tanks, the schoolchildren will learn about their fascinating lifecycle and the challenges they face.
On the May 25 at 1.30pm, pupils will set off down to the river to allow their baby eels to continue their journey upstream where they may live for six to 20 years before returning to the Sargasso Sea to spawn.
Luckington School are inviting everyone to this event.
Harriet Alvis, BART Project Officer, said, “The European Eel (Anguilla anguilla), is critically endangered, and it is estimated that their numbers have declined by as much as 95 per cent since the 1970s.
"Barriers such as tidal gates and weirs, overfishing and pollution are all issues that affect the survival of this important species.
"This project is a great way of awareness of the European eel and the issues it faces. The children have loved seeing them grow in the classroom!”
The project has been supported by the local Halpin Charitable Trust, Bridgwater College Fisheries Department and elver fishermen of the River Parrett.
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