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River lamprey
Lamprey are one of the most primitive of all living vertebrate animals. They have a distinct mouth with no lower jaw, instead it is surrounded by a round sucker-like disc within which the adults have strong, rasping teeth. The average adult length of the river lamprey is around 40cm with a weight of some 60g. River lamprey are confined to Western Europe, migrating from the sea to spawn in many UK rivers, where they require clean gravel for spawning and marginal silt and sand for the burrowing juvenile fish. The larvae spend several years in silt beds before metamorphosing and migrating downstream into estuaries. Here they can be found in large numbers feeding on estuarine fish. After 1-2 years, they stop feeding and migrate upstream to spawn in freshwater.
River lamprey in the Humber are known to use the estuary as a migratory passage to and from their spawning and nursery grounds in the River Derwent and Ouse in November, although they do not actually spawn until May. Data from power station fish impingement assessments indicate that they are present in the Humber throughout the year.
 Sea Lamprey
Sea lamprey are the largest and least common of the three lamprey species found in the UK and may reach a length of 120cm and weigh 2.5kg, although more usually are around 50cm.
Sea lamprey are thought to occur over much of the North Atlantic, both in shallow coastal and deep offshore waters, but migrate into fresh water to spawn.
Sea lamprey require clean gravel in rivers for spawning and silt beds for the juvenile larvae to burrow into before they metamorphose and migrate downstream to the sea.
 Waterfowl
The Humber Estuary supports internationally important populations of seven waterfowl species that are listed in Annex I of the Birds Directive. These species are in danger of extinction, rare or vulnerable, and their habitat is subject to special conservation measures to ensure their survival and reproduction. Seven species occur on the Humber at levels over 1% of the national population and so meet the SPA qualifying criteria.
In winter, small numbers of, Bewick’s and Whooper swans, Merlin, Avocet, Ruff, Short-eared owl and Kingfisher are found on the Humber, these are also Annex I species but the small numbers that occur are below the qualifying threshold.
| Annex 1 Species on the Humber (over 1% of the national population) |
| Breeding Species |
Wintering Species |
Avocet
Little tern
Marsh harrier |
Bar-tailed godwit
Bittern
Golden plover
Hen harrier |
| Migratory Waders on the Humber (over 1% of the national population) |
| Passage migrants: |
Over wintering migrants: |
Redshank
Ringed plover
Sanderling |
Dunlin
Grey plover
Knot
Lapwing
Redshank
Shelduck |
International important assemblage of waterfowl
The Humber Estuary is one of the key estuaries in the UK and Europe for wintering waterfowl, with a wintering waterfowl assemblage consisting of over 175,000 birds.
| Internationally important waterfowl on the Humber (20,000 birds +) |
Black-tailed godwit
Curlew
Dark-bellied brent geese
Goldeneye
Mallard
Oystercatcher |
Pochard
Ringed plover
Sanderling
Scaup
Wigeon |
 Grey Seals
The Humber has a large breeding colony of grey seals at Donna Nook. Grey seals are amongst the rarest seals in the world and the UK population represents about 40% of the world population and 95% of the EU population. At the start of the 2000 breeding season, Great Britain held 124,000 grey seals with Donna Nook being Britain’s most south-easterly breeding colony.
Nationally, grey seal colonies have been growing by 6% each year since 1984, but at Donna Nook, the colony grew by 21% in 2000. The most recent years count (2005), revealed the grey seal pup production at Donna Nook to be 994.
Threatened coastal and wetland invertebrates
The Humber is an internationally important wetland, hosting threatened coastal and wetland invertebrates.
Ground beetle
Pogonus luridipennis |
These beetles are found under seaweed, driftwood and strandline litter. They have been recorded at Spurn and between Cleethorpes and Humberston. |
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Lagoon sand shrimp
Gammarus insensibilis |
The Humber's Humberston Fitties coastal lagoon, is the most northerly site in Europe for this species. |
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Muscid fly
Spilogona biseriata |
This fly feeds on algal mats and has been recorded from Spurn Point and Blacktoft Sands. |
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Scarce pug moth
Eupithecia extensaria occidua |
This moth feeds on wormwood, it is only found at Spurn Point and the Wash. |
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