Taking actionable steps to protect Somerset eel.
Rather than focus on policies on an international scale which take a lifetime to get over the line, we're working with stakeholders in our local community to make a small, but meaningful impact on European eel populations. Once plentiful across the Somerset Levels, this migratory fish is now registered as critically endangered throughout its range. We're working to change that.
We're make tangible contributions to advance scientific research.
Citizen science is not what it used to be. We've thrown out quadrats and area surveys in favour of the latest advances in bio-technology. Through the use of our state-of-the-art aquatic eDNA kits, comprehensive analysis, and collaborative project design, we work to identify barriers to migration and inform conservation efforts which support the recovery of eel populations in vital freshwater habitats.
We're investing in unconventional barrier management techniques.
Engineered solutions take time, time we simply can't afford to waste. That's why we're introducing a range of low-cost interim measures to help elvers on their way into Somerset's waterways. Join us as we hand-craft straw ropes and drape them over some of the county's larger hydroelectric dams. Or sign on for one of our restocking initiatives, where we physically move eels past barriers and upstream.
We're pioneering trans-disciplinary approaches to problem solving.
Ever wondered what a Victorian novel might be able tell us about the inefficiencies in Victorian weirs? Or what a story from an elderly fieldworker can say about chemical pollution? Because we have. Throwing out the handbook for conservation research strategy, with its at-times blinkered approach, we're deploying literary, oral, and art histories to inform our working practices and engage local creatives with our cause.
We're providing a forum for knowledge exchange.
We aim to create a sustainable local ecosystem by actively investing in partnerships with schools, outreach at environmental conferences, and roundtable events with the power to bring conflicting stakeholders from the conservation, commercial fishing, flood defence, and green energy sectors together. Because we sincerely believe that knowledge is power - and best shared.
We're restoring our community's relationship with European eel.
This year, 'Eels in the Classroom' captured the imaginations of thousands of schoolchildren across Somerset. With SERP's support, the county's schools went beyond providing education on basic conservation issues to offer their students a hands-on experience of eel husbandry. We intend to build on the success of the programme to repair our broken relationship with European eel and inspire a new generation of conservationists.
