Eel buck

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Myles Birket Foster The Eel Traps.jpg

Eel bucks or eel baskets are a type of fish trap that was prevalent in the River Thames in England up to the 20th century. It was used particularly to catch eels which were a staple part of the London diet.

Eel bucks were baskets made of willow wood, and were often strung together in a fishing weir. Construction of such weirs was outlawed under the terms of Magna Carta

All fish-weirs shall be removed from the Thames, the Medway, and throughout the whole of England, except on the sea coast.[1]

However the practice continued unabated, often with adverse effects on navigation.

Several islands in the River Thames reflect the presence of bucks at those points - for example Buck Ait and Handbuck Eyot.[2]

A surviving eel buck may be seen on the River Test at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found..[3]

See also

References

  1. The Text of Magna Carta, see paragraph 33.
  2. Fred. S. Thacker The Thames Highway: Volume II Locks and Weirs 1920 - republished 1968 David & Charles
  3. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.