‘Biologically dead’ river Thames in UK now home to sharks and seals, analysis shows

The river is home to more than 115 species of fish and 92 species of bird, faces pollution and climate change threats, the the Zoological Society of London warned in a report.

New Delhi: The river Thames in United Kingdom which had been declared “biologically dead” in 1957 because of extreme levels of pollution has made an astounding recovery, a report by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) stated. 

The wildlife at the tidal stretch of the river includes seals, seahorses, wading birds and more. Tope, starry smooth-hound and spurdog are shark species that have been identified as part ZSL's Greater Thames Shark Project. The project began last year and is designed to gather more data on the three elusive shark species that reside in the Thames’s outer estuary. 

We've today launched our State of The Thames report - a benchmark report to see how far we've come since the Thames was declared biologically dead 50 years ago. We've seen big improvements in water quality and wildlife. Read it here: https://t.co/gnN62UnOvM #NatureAtHeart pic.twitter.com/LQ6UOqkCRh — ZSL (@OfficialZSL) November 10, 2021

Climate change has raised the Thames' temperature by 0.2⁰C a year on average, ZSL said. Water levels have been increasing since monitoring began in 1911 in the tidal section of the Thames, rising at some points by 0.17 inch a year on average since 1990.

"As water temperature and sea levels continue to rise above historic baselines, the estuary's wildlife will be particularly impacted, through changes to species' lifecycles and ranges," ZSL warned in a statement.

The river is home to more than 115 species of fish and 92 species of bird, faces pollution and climate change threats, ZSL warned.

Apart from sharks there are more than 100 species of fish, eels, and seals and around 92 species of bird species were found living in the 346-kilometre-long river. However, sharks are of particular interest as it is believed the sharks use the estuary to give birth and nurse their young, and thus Thames plays a pivotal role in the long-term survival of the species. 

The river Thames also provides drinking water, food, livelihoods and protection from coastal flooding to surrounding communities.