The Zoological Society of London’s Citizen Science, European Eel Project Report 2013 Joe Pecorelli, Emily Humble, Jo Barker, Stephen Mowat, Alison Debney 26th November 2013 Contact:
[email protected] ZSL in partnership with Kingston University, The Wandle Trust, Medway Valley Countryside Partnership, North West Kent Countryside Partnership, Ham United, The Thames Rivers Trust, London Wildlife Trust, Friends of The River Crane Environment, Thames 21, The Wildfowl and Wetland Trust, The River Chess Association, Historic Royal Palaces, The Spelthorne Natural History Society and The Thames Anglers Conservancy. Kindly funded by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and the Environment Agency. 1 Contents Executive Summary Page 3 1. Introduction Page 4 1.1. Background Page 4 1.2. Eel populations in the Thames River catchment Page 4 1.3. ZSL monitoring programme Page 5 1.4. Citizen Science monitoring programme Page 6 2. Methods Page 7 2.1. CS and ZSL staff monitoring Sites. Page 7 2.2. CS Trap Design Page 8 2.3. Licensing Page 8 2.4. Health and Safety and Volunteer Training Page 8 2.5. Catch Handling Page 9 2.6. Data Entry Page 9 2.7. Outreach, CS Recruitment and Feedback Page 9 3. Results Page 9 3.1 Catch totals Page 10 4. Discussion Page 10 4.1. Site summaries Page 13 4.1.1. River Brent –Stoney Sluice Page 13 4.1.2. River Chess- Chenies Bottom Weir Page 14 4.1.3. River Crane-Crane Park Page 15 4.1.4. River Cray- Hall Place Page 15 4.1.5. Hogsmill River-Middle Mill Page 15 4.1.6.