Eels 2022 Japanese Eels

“If more governments and research institutions were willing to spend the resources, these eels wouldn’t be so mysterious.”

Eels 2022 Future of Eels

Researchers worry for the future of eel populations

Eels 2022 conservationists

Conservationists are reviving eel-rich waterways in the Severn Valley

Eels 2020 Monopterus desilvai

Discovery of endemic eel species calls for urgent conservation of wetlands

Eels 2020 Glass Eels

Endangered European eels discovered on Hong Kong supermarket shelves

Eels 2020 Critically Endangered

The eel is now critically endangered

Eels 2019 to lose the eel

"To lose the eel is one grief; to lose the eel question, another."

Eels 2019 Lifecycle

An eel's lifecycle can teach researchers how to reduce its mortality

Eels 2018 Eel Fishing

Despite alarming declines, fishing continues

Eels 2016 American Eels In Trouble

American eels in trouble

Eels 2016 indigenousknowledge

Looking to indigenous knowledge in restoring the American Eel fishery

Eels 2015 Conservation Effort

European eel conservation

Eels 2014 Eels lifecycle

Noise pollution is leaving eel's vulnerable to predators

Eels 2013 Unagi

Japan’s disappearing eel

Eels 2010 lookatwhat

Look at what they face now

Eels 2000 Moses-Saunders hydroelectric dam

Virtually zero eels return due to hydroelectric dams

hist-5745-photo-Overfishing and Habitat Destruction Contribute to Eel Decline

Overfishing and habitat destruction contribute to eel decline

Eels 1988 legend

A portion of The Legend of Glooscap's Door, a Mi’kmaq poem

Eels 1980s Catching Eels

The eel's intriguing mystery

Eels 1960s nowheretohide

Eels have nowhere to hide

Eels 1920 Eel Life Cycle

Eels migrate thousands of natuical miles to reproduce

Eels 1904 The Eel Question

"The eel question"

Eels 1900s Elvers

Catching elvers in pillow cases

hist-5743-photo-Abundance of Freshwater Eels

Abundance of freshwater eels

hist-5742-photo-Fishing for Eels, Edward Winslow

Fishing for eels

hist-5741-photo-Eels So Common They are Used as Currency

Eels so common they are used as currency

hist-5740-photo-Where Do Eels Come From, Aristotle

Where do eels come from

Eels 6600 EelTrap

The Gunditjmara people built an elaborate series of channels and pools at Budj Bim to harvest eels from Lake Condah

Eels 11000BCE migration

European Eels migrate north after the Last Glacial Maximum

Eels

Overfishing

Overfishing is one of the primary causes of the endangerment of eels. For years, fishing gear has been upgraded to target eels at every stage of their life. Artificial electric currents, specialized netting, and extensive baiting methods have all been used to capitalize on the behavioral patterns of eels. Since it was named, “critically endangered,” government authorities have attempted to place restrictions on eel fishing, but demand remains high, and illegal export operations continue to deplete the populations. Eels are now ranked among the worst food choices at restaurants due to the detrimental impacts of the fishing industry.

Human development

Industrial development poses several threats to the remaining eel population. Construction of hydraulic energy systems obstruct eel migratory patterns. Turbines can injure the eel when attempting to pass through the blades. Dams delay eels as they search for way to move downstream, thus depleting its reserved energy required to travel it to its breeding grounds. Additionally, maritime noise pollution from traveling ships interferes with the eel’s internal behavioral response. The loud noises leave them confused and vulnerable to predators. 

Climate change

Ocean warming and acidification threaten migratory patterns of many eel species. As carbon dioxide emissions increase, seawater chemistry continues to change alongside the atmosphere. These developments are prohibiting the natural cues which tell eels when migration season has begun. As a result, these instinctual patterns are altered, and eels may die without ever reproducing. Additionally, these oceanic chemical changes mutate the eels at their larval stage, negatively affecting their senses and survival instincts. 

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