Anguilla rostrata

Conservation

American eels are a vital part of the marine food web and have a multifaceted life cycle that makes them an important component of the fishing industry throughout their range. In New Jersey, American eels are targeted by recreational and commercial fishermen and used primarily for bait and food. In an effort to prevent overfishing, gear restrictions and bag limits are in place for the recreational fishery. The yellow stage American eel is the only life stage that fishermen are permitted to harvest with a commercial Miniature Fyke Net License.

Currently, a coastwide quota is in effect for American eels. Commercial landings are combined annually to provide a coastwide estimate of the total number of pounds caught and fishing effort data is also evaluated. While most East Coast states have a commercial fishery for yellow eels, only two states are permitted to target and collect glass eels (youngest life stage). New Jersey closed their glass eel fishery in 1998 after legislation to regulate the fishery was not approved.

The New Jersey DEP Fish and Wildlife currently conducts two annual population assessment surveys that target American eels: the Young-of-Year (Glass Eel) Survey and Yellow Eel Survey. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) 2012 Benchmark Stock Assessment of American Eel indicated a depleted stock status coastwide. The purpose of both surveys is to collect population abundance data of American eels within nursery grounds in New Jersey. Annual indices of abundance and biological data from both surveys are included in each ASMFC coastwide assessment. Abundance and biological data from several other Fish and Wildlife surveys that catch American eel are also included in the stock assessments. The more data that each state can provide from various life stages and habitats, the more robust the assessment will be. Sound assessments provide biologists with better management tools, allowing individual states to adjust their regulations accordingly, in an effort to preserve the local population.


More information about this species can be found below:

Description

• slender, snake-like body
• small, pointed head
• one long dorsal fin extends more than half of the body
• dorsal fin is continuous with caudal and anal fins
• one small gill slit before pectoral fin
• lower jaw projects beyond upper
• yellow to olive brown above
• yellow to white below

Size

• up to 60 inches

Range

• found in Atlantic, Great Lakes, Mississippi River basins and Gulf basins from
• Newfoundland to South Dakota and south to South America

Facts

• catadromous species (spawns in Atlantic Ocean and ascends streams and rivers in North and South America to live its life)
• hides during daylight hours
• sexually mature adults migrate to the Sargasso Sea to spawn and eventually die
• eels may reside in freshwater systems for up to 20 years before migrating to spawn
• females lay up to 4 million buoyant eggs, which are then fertilized by the males
• larvae will drift toward North American coastal waters for up to 18 months
• eels exude a prominent layer of slime
• capable of breathing through its skin as well as its gills
• can endure several hours out of water