American eel

📖 Overview

Occurs in streams, rivers, muddy or silt-bottomed lakes ; usually in permanent streams with continuous flow . Hides during the day in undercut banks and in deep pools near logs and boulders . Feeds on larvae of Ephemeroptera, Odonata, Plecoptera, Coleoptera, Trichoptera, and Lepidoptera, as well as gastropods, oligochaetes, amphipods, isopods, mysids, and fish from the families Percidae, Cyprinidae, Ictaluridae, Catostomidae and Anguillidae . Migrates in autumn to the Sargasso Sea to spawn . Sexual maturity occurs approximately in less than10 years and up to 40 years in freshwater . Larvae (transparent leptocephali shaped somewhat like a willow leaf) hatch and develop at sea to metamorphose into elvers in nearshore waters and estuaries . Adults are caught with eel pots and trot lines. Elvers and glass eels are caught with fine mesh fyke nets and dipnets. Catadromous species. . Maximum depth reported taken from Ref. 57178.

🔬 Taxonomy

🐟 Physical Description

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Anal spines: 0. Head rather long; eyes small and placed well forward on head. Lips thick. Caudal vertebrae without transverse processes. Premaxillae not developed as distinct elements in adults. Frontal bones paired, not grown together. Pectoral girdle with 7 to 9 (up to 11 in the young) radial elements. Adults usually white or light-colored below and brownish to blue-black above, but coloration is variable; young with some yellow on the edges of the dorsal and anal fins . Caudal fin rounded, joined to dorsal and anal fins. Gill opening on side in front of lower half of well-developed pectoral fin; lower jaw longer than upper; 103-111 vertebrae .: eel-like.

🌀 Behaviour

Behavioural data for American eel is currently being reviewed.

🦐 Diet

🥚 Reproduction

Semelparous . Undertakes migration in autumn to the Sargasso Sea where spawning is said to take place. Coloration changes with sexual maturation. Dorsal surface of the pectorals becomes dark, lateral line becomes prominent, eye diameter increases and visual pigments change, body takes on a silvery bronze coloration. Females are usually larger than males and migrate much farther upstream . Spawn at sea but growth occurs in estuaries or freshwater . Spawning grounds believed to be between 20° and 30°N and 60°and 75°W .

🌍 Habitat & Distribution

Marine; freshwater; brackish; demersal; catadromous ; depth range 0 - 464 m . Subtropical; 4°C - 25°C ; 66°N - 5°N, 98°W - 21°W Northwest to western Central Atlantic: Greenland south along the Atlantic coast of Canada and the USA to Panama, and throughout much of the West Indies south to Trinidad.

🌿 Ecology

📐 Morphometrics

🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance

🛡️ Conservation Assessment

📊 Population Risk & Fisheries

🎣 Angling Guide

🍽️ Edibility & Flavour

"American eel is an edible species."

⚡ Nutrition

Per 100g cooked - Source: USDA FoodData Central

Nutrient	Amount
Protein	19.6 g
Omega-3 (total)	367 mg

🔬 Mercury Safety

Mercury data for American eel has not yet been assigned. Please consult FDA/EPA guidance for general seafood safety advice.

🌿 Sustainability

🔬 Full Nutritional Profile

Per 100g - Raw, per 100g - Source: USDA FoodData Central templates (generic fish average)

📊 Population Dynamics

🐠 Related Species

🔍 Similar Species

👥 Community & Contribute