THE number of eels found in the Bradford area is increasing, according to a charity working to improve the River Aire.
Two of the long, ray-finned fish were recently found by an angler above Goit Stock waterfall upstream of Harden Beck.
Kevin Sunderland, a trustee of Aire Rivers Trust, welcomed the discovery.
He said: "Over the last 20 years or so there have been increasing instances of eels being seen or caught in the River Aire and its tributaries in the Bradford area.
"It's interesting because from the late 19th century to the end of the 20th century, eels were basically absent in the Bradford and Craven areas.
"The main reason for this was that gross pollution in the lower Aire prevented eels entering the Aire and moving upstream.
"Similar circumstances were found in the Don and the Calder where eels were also absent for over 100 years."
He added: "Eels live for 20 years or more so we can probably expect increasing numbers of them in Bradford as more enter the River Aire each year.
"Although there has been a major unexplained decline in eel populations across Europe in recent years, it would appear that the decline has now ended and that eel populations are beginning to increase once again."
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