UK: Thames river nurses sharks, seahorses after undergoing ecological revival, says report

The United Kingdom's famous Thames river, which was declared 'biologically dead' in 1957, has recently been resurrected, with a health check report finding that it now nurses a variety of aquatic creatures including sharks, seahorses, eels, and seals. According to a report by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), the ecosystem of the Thames river has made a vast improvement. The analysis revealed that sharks such as tope, starry smooth-hound, and spurdog have been found again in the river, which was once so filthy and polluted.

Despite thriving wildlife, the latest findings show that climate change has caused a 0.34°F (0.19°C) increase in summer temperature in the Thames since 2007, as well as an increase in water level. The Natural History Museum declared the Thames "biologically dead" in 1957. Now, ZSL has released the first-ever State of the Thames Report, which details the river's environmental health and trends. 

'The analysis determines the changes took place in last 60 years' states Dr Andrew Terry

In the report's prologue, Dr Andrew Terry, head of conservation and policy at ZSL stated that this analysis looks at what changed in those 60 years since the Thames was nearly devoid of life. "We highlight some of the pressure reductions and improvements in vital species and ecosystems, as well as provide benchmarks for indicators of river use," he was quoted as saying by Daily Mail. He further stated that at ZSL, they strive for a more wild and diversified Britain brimming with wildlife. This involves keeping up the good work of reducing stresses, restoring species, and educating communities about the benefits of a healthy Thames.  

It should be mentioned here that experts assessed the quality of the Thames' natural environment using 17 different 'indicators,' including water temperature, dissolved oxygen, plastic pollution, and the presence of fish, birds, and marine mammals. They concentrated on samples collected in the Tidal Thames, the part of the Thames subject to tides from Teddington Weir in west London to the Thames Estuary. The findings suggest an increase in a variety of bird species, marine mammals, and natural ecosystems like carbon-capturing saltmarshes, which are important habitats for a variety of wildlife. 

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