Nearly 60 years after the Thames River was claimed to be ‘biologically dead’, new environmental research show the river is now a hive of activity for underwater life.
The river still suffers from some pollution due to the Victorian designed sewer system overflowing into the Thames through heavy rainfall. But with over a 100 species of fish recently being spotted in the Thames, the water is so clean that the National Environment Agency claim Salmon can now be bred in the river.
Thames Salmon died out over 150 years ago due to pollution, but due to a stricter sewage policy the river is now fit for the fish to be re-introduced. Over 5,000 Salmon eggs were recently incubated and released into the Thames tributary at Welford in Berkshire.
Along with the Salmon farming, the Environment Agency was ‘astonished’ to find Snout Nosed Seahorses now living in the Thames for over 18 months. Along with the seahorses, dolphins, seals and even whales have been spotted in the Thames, along with Bass, Flounder and Dover Sole.
It’s easy to see why Ken Livingstone’s office is now touting the Thames as the ‘cleanest urban river in Europe’.