An eel buck or eel basket is a type of fish trap that was prevalent in the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

in England up to the 20th century. It was used particularly to catch eels, which were a staple part of the

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

diet. Eel bucks were baskets made of

willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist so ...

wood, and were often strung together in a fishing weir. Construction of such weirs was outlawed under the terms of

Magna Carta (Medieval Latin for "Great Charter of Freedoms"), commonly called (also ''Magna Charta''; "Great Charter"), is a royal charter of rights agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. First drafted by t ...

: : ''All fish-weirs shall be removed from the Thames, the Medway, and throughout the whole of England, except on the sea coast.'' 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. A surviving eel buck may be seen on the River Test at .

References

{{Trapping Fishing equipment Fishing techniques and methods

See also

References