The latest eel pass has been installed as part of The Three Rivers Restoration Project - a collaboration between the Trust and Severn Trent which aims to deliver a programme of essential measures to improve the water environment in three rivers within the Idle Catchment, for which Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust are the Catchment Hosts. The 3 rivers covered by the project are Rainworth Water, Vicar Water and the Bevercotes Beck. 

The eel pass is located along Rainworth Water at Rufford Mill thanks to support from landowner Nottinghamshire County Council and site operator Parkwood-Leisure.

European eels are born in the Sargasso Sea inside the Bermuda Triangle. Once eels spawn in the Sargasso Sea, their larvae return to the UK and other European waters carried on ocean currents on the North Atlantic Drift. They then migrate into rivers as glass eels or elvers, attracted to the flow of freshwater. After 15-20 years European eels migrate up to 10,000 kilometres on the return journey to complete their life cycle and spawning grounds.

Eel passes are waterway modifications that help juvenile eels migrate upstream to freshwater habitats. They can be installed around many different structures, such as dams, weirs, and tide gates.

They are designed to assist eels to navigate past these manmade obstructions within rivers. Eel passes use the natural instincts of eels to seek out fresh water. They simulate wet vegetation and other substrates like river gravel that eels use for migration helping to restore eel populations in freshwater habitats.

The Rufford Mill weir now has this additional feature for visitors to view, known as an up and over pass.

These passes are constructed from a separate channel containing a substrate, such as bristles or polymer studs, that divert eels around or over the barrier.

The Rufford Mill eel pass includes a timber and concrete section with mounted pebbles in mortar screed running alongside the water from the weir. It then runs parallel to an ‘up and over’ structure which uses polymer studs designed to help the eels ‘wriggle’ upwards to join the lake above the weir which is fed by the river at the opposite side of the lake.

Parkwood site manager Mark Cumberpatch stated, “We’re delighted for visitors both fish and human to be able to benefit from this new feature on site at Rufford Abbey Country Park. Hosting the eel pass will certainly give our returning human visitors a new environmental feature to view and educate them about the eels’ plight and amazing lifecycle.”

Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust Project Manager, Ian Higginson stated, “The introduction of this eel pass ensures the project delivers on a key aim to improve fish passage along this particular river. Supporting the migration of the eel is vital in assisting this endangered species to increase its population. Together with a further eel pass recently installed further upstream, the project has now opened up over 12km of the river for migrating eels.”

Nottinghamshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Public Health, Councillor Scott Carlton, said: “I am delighted that we have played a part in supporting the installation of this eel pass at Rufford Mill weir. Hopefully its introduction will provide a real boost to eel numbers in the long-term, as well as bring wider benefits to the local water environment. I am sure the new feature will also prove highly beneficial and educational to the many people who visit Rufford to enjoy everything it has to offer.”

Neil Pope, Sustainable Abstraction Team Manager at Severn Trent said, “We’re extremely pleased to have had a helping hand in creating the eel pass at Rufford Mill. While the new attraction will prove popular for visitors, it’s important to highlight just how much this will help migrating eels carry on their journey and hopefully continue their population growth.

Neil continued, “We’re working hard to improve river health across our region, which will in turn better protect the wildlife and habitats that live in our rivers, working with our partners on installing these eel passes is just one of the ways we’re doing that.”

Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust has been working to promote and protect nature for more than six decades and this project is a great example of the benefits of collaboration. By working in partnership and sharing expertise we can deliver real impact for nature and create a wilder Nottinghamshire for all. 

Further information about the Three Rivers Restoration Project can be found online here.