There are in fact now 118 species of fish that are native to the river, with roach over clean gravel and carp in the deeps, club in the shadows, gudgeon on the bottom, trout and reed mace in the weir pools, perch and pike in the backwaters. Bottlenose dolphins have been seen at Blackfriars, and poppoises at Wapping; gray seals have been observed at Greenwich and at Rotherhithe, and long-finned whales at Southend. Even the shy seahorse has returned to the estuary. Their presence is of course complemented by the return of wildfowl and other birds, creating what can once more be considered a living river. It is now also cleaner river than at any time in its history. It is claimed, in fact, that the Thames is the cleanest metropolitan river in the world. It is a miracle of rejuvenation. What has been dead, has once more come alive. That regeneration has sometimes taken unexpected forms. There is much more vegetation along the banks of the Thames. A study of Turner’s sketches, for example, will reveal that in the artist’s lifetime there were far fewer trees in the river landscape. Now the two-paths are often observed by trees and bushes, and in recent years, there are stretches that have become impenetrable through the sheer volume of greenery. ~ Page 281
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Dinesh said: