Population of American eel slipping 7/11/05

The American eel, a resident of the Connecticut River and its tributaries, is wiggling its way toward special protection as an endangered species. Advocates say that the status is desperately needed in order to stem the creature's decline. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced on Wednesday that it will conduct an in-depth review of the fish to determine whether it should join the ranks of the spotted owl and bald eagle. The process will take at least a year.

The American eel is the Western Hemisphere's only freshwater eel. Males may grow to 2 feet in length, but females can reach 5 feet. The yellowish, snakelike creature is often caught and used as bait for bigger fish. It also may end up as sushi in Asian restaurants. Unlike salmon and shad, which are born in fresh water and then travel to the ocean to live much of their life before returning to spawn, the American eel is born in the ocean and migrates up coastal rivers and streams. It may spend five to 20 years there before migrating back to the ocean to spawn and die.

The Mary Steube fishway in Old Lyme, CT. The structure on the left is an eel pass and on the right is a herring fishway.


Annual counts of migrating fish in the Connecticut River have been finding fewer eels in recent years. In 2002, at all dams on the river up to Holyoke, 275 were counted. In 2003, only 25 were counted, and last year, only one was seen. So far this year, none have been tallied. "We're very glad that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will begin looking at ways to improve the population levels of eels," said Andrea F. Donlon, river steward of the Connecticut River Watershed Council based in Greenfield, this week. "Although eels are not the most charismatic species, they have a fascinating life cycle.

"Spawning takes place in just one place, the Sargasso Sea, near Bermuda, then they make their way to freshwater streams, such as tributaries of the Connecticut River." Commercial fishing may be responsible for the decline of eels, Donlon said. "They spawn only once in their life (just before they die), so that means that when they are caught by commercial fishermen, they have prevented them from ever reproducing," she said. "They are particularly vulnerable to overfishing." Under the status review, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service will request information on the American eel from other federal agencies, countries where eels are sold as food or bait, state officials, commercial fisheries, and the public.
"Now, we go on to find the big picture," said Heather Bell, a senior fisheries biologist for the Fish and Wildlife Service.