MFR PAPER 1303 Eels and Their Utilization J. PERRY LANE INTRODUCTION several eastern States, notably, Maine, common or American eel, Anguilla To the average American, the image Massachusetts, New York, New Jer­ rostrata. Other names used in this of the common eel conjures up a picture sey, Maryland, Virginia, North Caro­ country are the yellow eel, silver eel, of a snake-like creature slithering lina, and Florida, with varying amounts and freshwater eel. Young eels are through brooks and rivers. The mental from other States. In 1970 from recrea­ called elvers after they acquire pigment picture is often accompanied by an in­ tional fishing alone, it was estimated and "glass" eels when colorless. The ward shudder of revulsion. This unfor­ (Statistics and Market News Division, American eel is found along the coast tunate association of eels with snakes 1975a) that over 4 million pounds and in freshwater streams and rivers has deprived most Americans from en­ (1,814 metric tons) of eels were taken from Greenland to the Gulf of Mexico joying a fish that has been considered a from the Atlantic coastal States, while and as far south as Panama, the West gourmet delicacy for thousands ofyears another I V2 million pounds (680 metric Indies, and rarely to the northern coast in many parts of the world. Not only tons) were taken commercially in 1972 of South America. that, but the reptilian association ofeels (Statistics and Market News Division, The taxonomic or biological clas­ is completely erroneous. The American 1975b). Eels are usually caught with sification of eels is as follows: eel, Anguilla rostrata, is a true fish with traps, but otter trawls, hand lines, long lines, fyke and hoop nets, floating gills and scales. Kingdom: Animalia traps, spears, haul seines, and pound The eel itself is a fascinating creature Phylum: Chordata nets have also been used. Most of this and was, and still is to some extent, the Class: Osteichthyes gear was used in some form by the early object of one of the greatest biological Order: Anguilliformes settlers along the eastern coast, particu­ detective studies of all times. Since the Family: Anguillidae larly in New England. time of the ancient Greeks, man has Genus: Anguilla wondered where the eels came With the worldwide interest in eels from-where they spawned. For hun­ and the fact that eel fisheries in the dreds of years, no one had seen an eel United States go back to the time of the There have been about 17 species with eggs or milt. Did they really origi­ Pilgrims, why have eels been shunned found of the Anguilla genus. These are nate from horse hairs dropped into by most of the citizens of the United identified in Table 1 along with the streams as was once believed? States? Why are they still largely parts of the world where they normally As a food, the eel is consumed in underutilized here, particularly in light occur. many ways; and in parts of Europe and of the present shortage of so many of Other eels resemble the American eel particularly in Japan, demand has so our more established marine food fish? to varying degrees. The conger or sea outstripped supply that young eels-or Perhaps part of the reason is that the eel has the same serpentine body but elvers-have brought several hundred public is so unfamiliar with eels, except grows to a larger size. The conger eel dollars a pound. The Netherlands has for the vague misconception mentioned has more vertebrae than the American sent a specially designed ship with live earlier. This paper presents some basic eel, and the dorsal fin begins just behind wells to the United States and Canada to information on the eel, its life history, the pectoral or side fins, whereas the collect mature eels and transport them the various methods of catching and dorsal fin ofthe American eel originates alive to Europe. The lucrative foreign preparing them, and some indication of much farther back. The conger eel does market for eels has promoted the estab­ world demand. not enter fresh water. Another fish that lishment or expansion of eel fisheries in DESCRIPTION might be confused with the American eel is the sea lamprey, Petromyzon Eels are found worldwide and there marinus. This species is parasitic and J. Perry Lane is with the Gloucester are a number of different species. In the was responsible for nearly wiping out Laboratory, Northeast Fisheries Center, National Marine Fisheries United States, when the word "eel" is the lake trout population in the Great Service, NOAA, Emerson Avenue, used alone, one can be quite certain that Lakes. It has almost no jaws but rather Gloucester, MA 01930. the fish referred to is the so-called an oval-shaped mouth with many April 1978 1 Table I.-Distribution 01 species 01 the genus Anguilla in illumination. They can alter their as in the sea where seaweed accumu­ (Eales, 1968). skin color within a matter of hours by lates, in rivers and at the water's edge, Species Distribution redistributing pigments. When these for it was there that the heat of the sun A. anguilla Europe, Iceland, and North Atrica A. australis Australia. Aukland Island. and eels reach maturity, the yellow gradu­ develops and produces putrefaction. By New Zealand A. bengaJensis Indian Ocean ally changes to a silvery white, and they "entrails of the earth," Aristotle may A bicolor Indian Ocean to Malayan Islands. are known as silver eels. have meant that eels were born from Philippines. and New Guinea A. borneensis Borneo Female eels grow to a larger size than worms or larvae. The idea of spontane­ A ce/ebesensis Indo-Malaya, Philippines, and western males. A mature female will vary from ous generation was common in Europe New Guinea A dieffenbachi Australia. Aukland Islands. and 30 to 42 inches (76.2-106.7 cm) in for hundreds of years after Aristotle, of New Zealand 1 A iaponica China and Japan length and weigh from about 2 /2 to 31/2 course, and thought to be the way mag­ A. marmorata Indian Ocean, most oceanic islands north pounds (1.1-1.6 kg). Females up to 4 gots arose from rotting flesh. 10 the Marianas and south 10 New Guinea. New Caledonia and Society feet (1.22 m) and weighing over 16 Pliny, in his "Natural History," had Islands as eastern limit pounds (7.3 kg) have been reported. a unique explanation as to the reproduc­ A. mauritania Central Pacific A. megastomata New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, The male can mature at 12 inches (30.5 tive process of eels. He said, "to repro­ eastern Polynesia, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, cm) and usually does not go much over duce themselves, eels rub their bodies Marquesas, Tuamotu, and Tahiti A mossBmbica Indian Ocean 18 inches (45.7 cm) in length. Any eel against the rocks; from the shreds of A. nebulara Indian Ocean A obscura Australia, New Guinea. East Indies, over 18 inches (45.7 cm) would proba­ skin thus detached come new ones." eastern Polynesia, Fiji. Tonga. Samoa, bly be a female, and any over 24 inches appian, in the second century in Sicily, Marquesas, Tuamotu, and Tahili A paciHca East Pacific (61 cm) would certainly be a female. had an equally unique explanation. His A. reinhardi Australia and New Caledonia theory was that eels mate with snakes. A. rostrata NMh Arnerica and Greenland LIFE HISTORY The female eel takes the snake's head in Historical Background her mouth. Following this union, the eel went to sea and the snake to land. hooked teeth which it uses to fasten The eel was prized as a delicacy by There was no further scientific en­ onto other fish, rasp a hole in their side, the ancient Romans and was widely ob­ lightenment of the origin of eels and draw out blood which seems to be served throughout the waterways of throughout the Middle Ages. Scholars their main food. Europe. In fact, the origins of the eel of that time mainly reflected the views The American eel has an elongated have fascinated people since the begin­ of earlier philosophers such as Aristo­ serpentine body that tapers to a point at ning of European civilization. They tle. It was not until the 17th century that the tail. It is closely related to the Euro­ noted that the eels never contained roe Francesco Redi of Tuscany observed pean eel but has a lesser number of or milt as did other fish and this gave that eels leave fresh water around Au­ vertebrae-about 107 as compared rise to a variety of strange myths as to gust and go to sea where, he concluded, with 114. There are a pair of pectoral their origin. Some thought they de­ the female dropped her eggs. Later the fins just behind the head with a small veloped from horse hairs falling into young eels, or elvers, returned to fresh gill opening in front of each pectoral streams or rivers or from water beetles. water. This was the first time the small fin. The dorsal fin originates far behind Aristotle, in 350 B.C. in "Historia elvers were observed entering fresh the pectorals, back about a quarter to Animalium," gave his views and ob­ water and correctly identified as young one-third the length of the body. The servations to support his theory of spon­ eels. dorsal fin runs into and is continuous taneous generation. He observed that Redi was the first person to refute the with the caudal and anal fins. The lower eels had no seminal fluid or eggs and theory that eels were born alive.