Glass eel on the move

Diadromous fish such as the European eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) are hampered by a high density of barriers in estuaries and freshwater systems. Modified and fragmented waterbodies lack tidal flows, and habitat may be less accessible and underutilized compared to free-flowing rivers and estuaries. With rising sea levels and increased occurrence of droughts, the number of barriers may further increase, implying that the need to study migration in such areas may even become more urgent worldwide. The main question of this PhD proposal is therefore: How do migrating glass eel migrate in highly regulated systems? The main purpose of this study is to study glass eel behaviour in highly regulated systems to prioritise management measures and to optimise glass eel recruitment success and habitat utilisation.