Get Ensuring The Future Of The American Eel In Atlantic ... - Species At Risk

As soon as you catch an eel, you can directly put them in the ice water before taking it out of the hook. You can also store them there if you plan to use them for bait. Another characteristic of eels that makes them hard to hold is their slimy bodies.

The American eel is not federally listed as an endangered or threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973.

Eels are endangered due to a number of reasons. Overfishing being the main reason but others include: Illegal fishing and exporting. Man-made structures like hydropower turbines and pumping stations interrupt eel movements/kill them by getting swept into these structures.

American eels are safe to eat and freshwater eels are an important food fish in Europe. It is popular to eat fried, smoked, or pickled.

The eel is famous for both its slippery nature and its mammoth migration from its freshwater home to the Sargasso Sea where it breeds. It has suffered dramatic declines and is a protected species.

In 1900, American eels were prolific throughout the Susquehanna and Delaware rivers. Now they are listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

Threats. Scientists suspect the largest threats to the American eel relate to habitat quality, fishing and obstacles to their migration. This includes changes made by humans to their habitats, dams, over fishing, changes in ocean conditions, as well as acid rain and contaminants.