European eel · Anguilla anguilla

European eel in England's Rivers

The largest recorded measurement is 116 cm (45.7 in), from Acacia Hall in River Darent on 9 July 2007.

Median length: 28 cm (11 in)
Fish measured: 181,604
Named waterways: 2,072
Latest observation: 29 Jul 2026

Direct individual measurements

Largest european eel by waterway

Ranked by the largest individual measured in EA surveys. The sample size shows how many valid length measurements underpin each waterway's figures.

Rank	River or waterway	Largest	Median	Measured	Measured at
1	River DarentSouth East	116 cm (45.7 in)	35.5 cm (14 in)	635	9 Jul 2007Acacia Hall
2	River Molesey - TeddingtonSouth East	110 cm (43.3 in)	43 cm (16.9 in)	141	8 Sept 2014Molesey Weir Pool
3	River Cotterstock Eel RackAnglian	110 cm (43.3 in)	78 cm (30.7 in)	85	15 Oct 20132013
4	Yotham RiverSouth East	108 cm (42.5 in)	63 cm (24.8 in)	23	8 Jul 2011Upstream Rickney Pumping Stn
5	River EdenSouth East	108 cm (42.5 in)	65 cm (25.6 in)	7	19 Jul 2006Delaware Farm
6	River KennetSouth East	103 cm (40.6 in)	77 cm (30.3 in)	73	6 Nov 2009Fobney -Foudry Brook
7	River ThamesSouth East	101 cm (39.8 in)	76 cm (29.9 in)	558	22 Jul 2019Culham Weirpool
8	Lee NavigationSouth East	101 cm (39.8 in)	59.9 cm (23.6 in)	172	13 Aug 2024Enfield Lock
9	River KingstonSouth East	100.9 cm (39.7 in)	35 cm (13.8 in)	36	14 Sept 2007Downstream Kingston Bridge
10	River Chertsey - SheppertonSouth East	100.5 cm (39.6 in)	59.8 cm (23.5 in)	148	1 Sept 2000Chertsey Main

Equal maximum lengths are ordered by sample size. Measurements are shown as recorded and are not converted into estimated weights.

181,604 fish measured

Measured european eel lengths

The median divides the measured sample in half. This distribution describes surveyed fish, not every european eel living in England.

0–19 mm

20–39 mm

40–59 mm

60–79 mm

3617

80–99 mm

5155

100–119 mm

7394

120–139 mm

8225

140–159 mm

7804

160–179 mm

8681

180–199 mm

8859

200–219 mm

9338

220–239 mm

10142

240–259 mm

9560

260–279 mm

9729

280–299 mm

9569

300–319 mm

10484

320–339 mm

10460

340–359 mm

8662

360–379 mm

6930

380–399 mm

5396

400–419 mm

4918

420–439 mm

4769

440–459 mm

4508

460–479 mm

3999

480–499 mm

3757

500–519 mm

3394

520–539 mm

2679

540–559 mm

2445

560–579 mm

1901

580–599 mm

1545

600–619 mm

1510

620–639 mm

1111

640–659 mm

951

660–679 mm

687

680–699 mm

627

700–719 mm

596

720–739 mm

426

740–759 mm

401

760–779 mm

294

780–799 mm

222

800–819 mm

180

820–839 mm

147

840–859 mm

122

860–879 mm

880–899 mm

900–919 mm

920–939 mm

940–959 mm

960–979 mm

980–999 mm

1000–1019 mm

1020–1039 mm

1080–1099 mm

1100–1119 mm

1160–1179 mm

Only positive individual lengths that pass RiverFish's general measurement checks are included. Each bar covers a 20 mm range.

Latest EA evidence

Latest european eel observations

The ten most recent survey visits that recorded european eel in named waterways.

Date	River or waterway	Survey location	Fish recorded
29 Jul 2026	Main River Erme	Downstream Ivybridge STW (Te)	13
28 Jul 2026	River North Tyne	North Tyne at Riverhill farm	5
24 Jul 2026	River Main East Dart	U/s Postbridge (Te)	2
23 Jul 2026	River Lee	Amwell Loop	1
22 Jul 2026	River Darent	Twitton Brook	5
21 Jul 2026	Cherry Brook	Hr Cherry Brook Bridge (Te)	2
21 Jul 2026	Walla Brook	Runnage (Te)	1
15 Jul 2026	River North Tyne	North Tyne at Bellingham	1
14 Jul 2026	River North Tyne	North Tyne at Tarset Hall	1
13 Jul 2026	River North Tyne	North Tyne at Falstone Tennis Courts	2

A survey record confirms european eel at that place and time. It does not show present-day abundance or fishing access.

30,910 positive survey visits

Survey distribution

EA surveys recorded european eel at 8,525 locations across 2,072 named waterways represented on RiverFish.

Region	Waterways	Locations	Survey visits	Latest record
South West	639	2,062	7,567	29 Jul 2026
North West	424	1,631	4,726	29 Jun 2026
Anglian	335	1,696	9,049	3 Jul 2026
South East	266	1,179	3,930	23 Jul 2026
Midlands	249	1,070	2,916	2 Jul 2026
Yorkshire and North East	159	887	2,722	28 Jul 2026

1,124 detailed pages

European eel by river

Open any river-specific page for its measured lengths, largest surveyed individuals, locations and observation history.

Anglian 181 pages

Midlands 124 pages

North West 232 pages

South East 157 pages

South West 341 pages

Yorkshire and North East 89 pages

How to read this page

Survey measurements, not angling records

Environment Agency surveys are designed to monitor fish populations. Their largest measurement is not equivalent to a verified rod-and-line record, and the survey sample does not include every river or every european eel.

Waterway groups with administrative or mixed-river labels are excluded from the headline national totals and rankings. Their eligible river-specific pages remain available in the directory so no published destination is hidden.

The fish records use the Environment Agency source snapshot dated 10 August 2026.

How RiverFish handles the data →