Swimmers are on urgent alert after the number of one meter long lampreys with sharp teeth hit a record high in several UK rivers.
According to the Mirror , lampreys can attack humans when hungry, and the species is increasing at a rapid rate across the UK. The number of lampreys is recorded at record levels in the Great Ouse, Trent, Derwent and Wear rivers.
Lampreys are also known as vampire fish because they destroy other fish by clinging to themselves and sucking the blood of their prey. British outdoor swimming websites are advising members who regularly swim in lakes and rivers to be wary of lampreys when diving deep.
Lampreys are prehistoric fish that have existed on Earth for 360 million years. They have a wide palate with strong suction and sharp teeth arranged in many rings. The number of lampreys once plummeted after humans erected many dams, preventing them from swimming upstream to lay eggs. Female lampreys lay about 170,000 eggs per spawning season.
According to Mark Owen, a manager at the Angling Trust fishing organization, the passages allow lampreys and other fish such as eel, freshwater trout and sea trout to swim through the dam and grow in numbers. “The return of lampreys indicates improved water quality,” commented Owen.
For species like lampreys, migration is important because migration helps them reproduce, feed, and complete their life cycles. The move to move dams and create fish passages makes the route from the sea to the upstream rivers faster and easier. The project will benefit not only the fish that live in the river throughout their life cycle, but also the species that migrate between the river and the sea.
“Thanks to increased investment, rivers in the UK are at their cleanest in 20 years. That’s thanks to a decade-long effort to improve water quality,” said Sarah Chare, head of fisheries at the Environment Agency. British School, said.
A protected species in the UK, lampreys play a vital role in processing nutrients in rivers and providing a food source for other fish. This strangely shaped creature was once considered a luxury dish for English, Viking and Roman kings and queens. It is said that King Henry I of England died in 1135 after eating too many lampreys
