Last Eel Man

[boatman]

Maybe should have been in Lovely Grub or elsewhere but this report is of a tragedy. The end of a way of life and a tradition and the loss of knowledge.

https://www.rt.com/news/329598-last-eel-catcher-uk/

 

[Macaroon]

Meanwhile, as the eels become even more endangered, a mile or two from where I live the fish merchant buys elvers by the hundreds of kilos which are netted in the Severn and Wye each year to feed mainly the Japanese and lately Chinese greed for these baby eels.

How the elvering has managed to stay legal is beyond us all down here, except that we all know money talks and this is huge business. A disgraceful state of affairs.

 

[Gaudette]

That's a real shame had the pleasure of meeting him a couple of times when my Son did a theatre piece about the Fens, " Ours was the Fen Country." Stillhouse.co.uk.

He was a real nice guy and had some great stories, a true Fenman. His contribution to the piece was particularly moving.

 

[Joonsy]

it's sad to see the old traditional ways of country living disappear, and even sadder to see the decline of eels in my own lifetime, when I was young eels were very common indeed and fishmongers often used to have tubs of live eels in their shops, forty years ago I did a bit of eel catching with an old fellow, that way of life has now disappeared along with both salmon and eels, the rivers I used to know as a young man may look the same from above but below the waterline they are only a shadow of what they used to be.

it's a shame some of the last words in the video below did not come true ''i'll be doing this till they dig a hole and put me in it''

[video=youtube;nLPF9WyAbr8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLPF9WyAbr8[/video]

 

[Samon]

About ten years ago all the kids I new could only catch eels. Bloody loads of them too.. Then sell them to Chinese restaurants for a few quid lol.

It's only seemingly recently that their endangerment has been properly reported at least for me anyway.

Then again I've never caught a live fish myself.. Just crabs.. The pinchy kind, not the itchy kind!

Is it decisively illegal to fish for eel and elvers now??

I recall watching river cottage and Hugh caught elvers like it was totally normal and there was plenty to be had.

 

[richardhomer]

Such a shame.