Thames Rivers Trust receives £150,000 from Thames Water’s Enhance the River fund to help save the European eel

The Thames Catchment Community Eels Project (TCCEP), led by Thames Rivers Trust, has received a £150,000 grant from Thames Water’s Enhance the River fund — a significant boost for efforts to bring one of the Thames catchment’s most remarkable and endangered creatures back from the brink.

The European eel is one of nature’s great wonders. Born thousands of miles away in the Sargasso Sea, it travels to rivers across the Thames catchment to grow — sometimes living in the very stretch of river at the end of your road — before making an epic return journey across the Atlantic to breed. Today, that journey is under serious threat: numbers have fallen by more than 95% since the 1980s, and the species is now critically endangered.

The £150,000 award, made through Thames Water’s River Health and Community Fund, will help the TCCEP partnership carry out surveys, feasibility studies and site prioritisation work, preparing the ground for hands-on habitat restoration and fish passage improvements. It sits alongside the project’s core funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Dr Claire Robertson, Catchment Initiative Officer at Thames Water, said: “We are proud to support the Thames Catchment Community Eels Project and the partnership working to reverse the decline of one of the UK’s most remarkable migratory fish. This funding will help identify and prepare priority restoration projects that can improve habitats and remove barriers to eel movement across the Thames catchment. By combining environmental action with community involvement, the project will help create healthier, more connected rivers for people and wildlife alike.”

TCCEP is led by Thames Rivers Trust and delivered in partnership with Action for the River Kennet (ARK), South East Rivers Trust (SERT), Thames21, Medway Swale Estuary Partnership (MSEP), Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust (HMWT), Thames Estuary Partnership (TEP) and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), working across six Thames sub-catchments: the London Lea, Lower Lea, Kennet, Mole, Medway and North Kent/Swale.

Caz Bailey, Programme Manager for TCCEP, said: “Every river in our catchment has a story to tell, and the eel has been part of that story for centuries. This funding lets us keep restoring the habitats eels need — but we can’t do that well without hearing from the people who know these rivers best. If you live near, work near, or simply love a Thames catchment river, we want to know what matters to you.”

Have your say: Bring Back the Eel

Whatever your connection to the Thames and its rivers, we want to hear from you. Our public consultation takes around five minutes, is fully anonymous, and everyone who takes part is entered into a prize draw for a ZSL Gold Zoo Membership worth up to £336. Open until 31 October 2026.

Take part here: Bring Back the Eel

TCCEP is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players.