The American Eel

Of North America's 16 species of eels, only the American eel, Anguilla rostrata, lives in Pennsylvania.

The American eel is a fish and is catadromous – maturing in fresh water and reproducing in the saltwater (the ocean). It migrates long distances on its way from a small section of the southern Atlantic Ocean known as the Sargasso Sea (where all American eel reproduce) to numerous rivers on the North American continent. Because of its snakelike movement, the eel is able to navigate in extremely shallow marshy areas and can travel over-land during flooding and wet periods. It is a largely a nocturnal feeder, consuming mainly fish, invertebrates and terrestrial organisms that are washed into the water. The body is long and slender, resembling a snake more than a fish. The head is small and conical with a broad mouth that contains numerous sharp teeth. The fins are peculiar to this fish with paired, bluntly rounded pectorals and a single continuous dorsal, caudal and anal fin. Weight rarely exceeds a couple of pounds, but some individuals, especially if landlocked, may reach a maximum of 5 to 6 feet and weigh 10 to 15 pounds.

Because of multiple habitat requirements over its life cycle, the American eel faces numerous threats including commercial fishing, habitat loss, chemical pollutants, disease arising from introduced parasites, and oceanographic changes. Its long lifespan (up to 20 years) and large fat reserves make the eel a good bioaccumulator of organo-pollutants like PCBs, creating issues for the health of eel populations as well as for the animals and humans who consume them.

Today's photo is courtesy of underwater photographer Garold W. Sneegas.

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