Introducing the American Eel

American Eel

This one finned snake resembling aquatic vertebrate has a protruding lower jaw as compared to its upper jaw. American Eels are capable of living in both fresh and salt water with all spawning and discharging of eggs occurring in the fresh waters.² Once eggs are hatched, this is when they begin their journey towards Canadian bodies of water. Males are inherently smaller than females, while both genders are capable of altering their exterior with varying light intensities in their habitats.² In the late 20^th century (1990s), American eels were highly abundant and were amongst one of the top 3 species being used as commercial harvest from Lake Ontario, as they have sweet tasting white flesh enjoyed feverishly by the human palate.^1,2 However, a drastic reduction in American Eel began to be observed following this time period, as less and less Eel were returning through the St. Lawrence River. Commercial harvesting of American Eel was rightfully halted. This is an endangered species and has been threatened since 2008. Habitat protection for the American Eel has been established, in addition to a recovery strategy that has also been implemented. There are lots of actions that the public can take to aid in the return of abundant American Eel fish numbers. Stay tuned for more to come on this!

Interesting fact: 88! The age of the oldest eel ever to be recorded.

Sources:

¹ "American Eel." Government of Ontario. Web. 18 Oct. 2015. <http://www.ontario.ca/page/american-eel>.

² "American Eel Website." American Eel Website. Web. 18 Oct. 2015. <http://www.speciesatrisk.ca/eel/factvfiction.asp>.

American Eel ¹