American Eel x
Latin Name: Anguilla rostrata
Species: Fish
Conservation Status: S2 - Imperiled
The American Eel has a very long and slender body that looks like a snake. They are olive green in color that fades to yellow or white on their bellies. They have very long extended dorsal fins that merge with their anal fin to be one. They do not have pelvic fins, and the scales that they do have are embedded in their skin so it gives them a smooth feeling. On average they get about 2.5 feet long and weigh .5 pounds to 3 pounds.
Range & Habitat
American eels have an extremely large range because they primarily live in freshwater. They can be found along the entire east coast and even reach as far as New Mexico. They orient themselves to structure during the day, they can be found hiding among tree snags, plants, and other types of shelter near shoreline. They thoroughly enjoy rivers and streams with coastal access, natural bodies of running water.
Diet
American eels feed at night and have a large range of prey. They typically feed on crustaceans like crabs and clams, small insects, worms, and other fish.
Life History
American eels can live from 5 to more than 40 years depending on where they live and if they remained in brackish or freshwater environments during their lives. Spawning for this species is still not fully understood but it is known that the adults are catadromous, migrating to the ocean during autumn months. During their lifetime they go through several metamorphoses from fertilized eggs to adult forms. When the eggs hatch they are leaf-shaped floating larvae that drift with currents. By the time they reach their coastal destinations they are about 2-3 inches long with small fins and are semi- transparent known as the “glass eel” stage. They soon transform into a pigmented pencil eel and continue their migration upstream to wait until spawning season. Once it is spawning season and the adults return to the ocean they are known to be in the “silver eel” stage.
Significance
The American eel plays an important role in both local and oceanic ecosystems as prey for many mammals and birds or even predatory fish. In freshwater systems they are considered a top predator and keep population numbers for other species in check. From an economical point of view they are also highly valued especially to foreign countries since they can not spawn in large quantities in aquaculture or artificial settings.
Threats & How You Can Help
The main threat to the American Eel is habitat loss and obstacles blocking their migration patterns such as dams. While they are also extremely overfished in some states, if they cannot get to their place of spawning it’s likely the eggs will either get eaten or damaged and never make it to adulthood. The best way to help is to be sure you’re knowledgeable on species that you may encounter when fishing. You also should be sure to buy your fishing license from the SCDNR website since that money is used for research and fisheries to maintain species.
Additional Resources
https://www.dnr.sc.gov/fish/species/americaneel.html
https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/freshwater/american-eel/
https://www.fws.gov/species/american-eel-anguilla-rostrata