Lamprey Watch – A citizen science project
A citizen science project to record and monitor arguably the UK's most fascinating fish species
Scottish Environment Protection Agency
visit siteThe Lamprey Watch project seeks to help conserve and protect the UK’s lamprey species.
Lampreys have been around since well before the dinosaurs, and with fossils dating back almost 400 million years they are thought to be among the oldest of all living vertebrates.
Having survived across the millennia they have suffered population declines in recent decades. It is thought that this is due to pollution and human interference with the flow of rivers, which prevents them reaching their spawning grounds.
But lampreys are secretive fish, seldom seen apart from when they are spawning. They spend much of their lifecycle living in the muddy sediment of rivers which naturally makes them difficult to monitor.
This project has been designed to raise awareness of lampreys and their plight and to collect any records of these intriguing fish. Every record is valuable so if you happen to spot a lamprey or several, please record your sightings on the website.
