Screening Assessments

The eel regulations were put in place in 2010 to give powers to the Environment Agency to take measures to try to help restore populations of eels (Anguilla anguilla) in the UK, as their numbers have dropped over 95% in the last few decades.

Part of the eel regulations are aimed at reducing the loss of eels into abstraction off-takes, through the installation of appropriate screens.

Fishtek were contracted by South-West Water to look at a number of their abstraction off-takes and the existing screening (or lake thereof) in place at these off-takes in order to assess their compliance with the eel regulations. The work involved on site and desk-based assessments of a large number of abstraction off-takes throughout Devon and Cornwall, combined with recommendations as to the measures required at each site in order to bring each abstraction off-take in line with the eel regulations.