Longtown weir demolished to help endangered eels
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A £50,000 project is under way to help critically endangered European eels move across a tricky stretch of river.
West Cumbria Rivers Trust is dismantling a redundant weir at Glinger Burn near Longtown to help the eel and other fish migrate up and down the river more easily.
The European eel has seen a 90% decline in the last 30 years, the environmental charity said, and risked injury while leaping up the weir when levels are low.
Assistant director Luke Bryant said: “Maybe in the winter when there’s really heavy flow they can, but a lot of the time they’ll struggle.”
The conservation work, funded by the Environment Agency, will see diggers spend the next two weeks taking down the weir.
