Over the past few years, something became obvious in the River Nene in England: The fish were disappearing.
As Rob Harris, chairman of Peterborough and District Angling Association, told the BBC, adult stocks in the waterway had fallen by roughly 95%.
The reason, it turned out, had whiskers.
Two female gray seals, later named Daffodil and Trifle, had somehow made their way nearly 40 miles inland from the sea, moving through locks and gates built for narrowboats.
They became familiar figures on the river, along with two other seals, who later disappeared.
"[They] were going to become very hungry," Harris said. "You can't put an overwhelming marine predator into an environment that can't sustain it."
When the call finally went out to relocate them, a plan came together. Marine and Wildlife Rescue, a volunteer group based in Great Yarmouth, coordinated with Natural England and a vet from the International Zoo Veterinary Group.
After rescuers discovered the seals had a tendency to follow paddleboards, they used the floating vessels during the rescue operation.
Once close enough, Daffodil was guided into a stretcher and lifted out of the river. Trifle resisted, but she was eventually rescued.
The seals' journey up the Nene is a small glimpse of how Britain's waterways are changing under pressure, from warming seas that alter predator and prey movement to inland rivers increasingly reshaped by extreme weather and pollution.
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Definitely 👍 For communities like Peterborough, that balance isn't abstract; instead, it's the line between a living river and one that quietly empties itself of life.
Both seals had been rescued once before as pups on Norfolk beaches, treated at rehabilitation centers, and released. Their second rescue was not only about saving their lives, it was also about restoring balance to the river.
Daffodil was returned to the waters off the coast of Horsey, near where she was first found. Trifle spent more time under observation at the RSPCA's East Winch center, where staff tried to improve her health.
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"What has been so nice about this story is the compassion shown by everyone for the welfare of the seals," said Dan Goldsmith, who led the rescue team.
Harris added that while moving the seals was "the best result for them," it will take decades for fish populations to rebound.
While the seals might have been an interesting and adorable addition to the River Nene's waters, their presence serves as an example of how one unfamiliar species can create negative knock-on effects for the wider ecosystem.
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