European Eel

Information about European Eel

European eel

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Anguilliformes
Family:	Anguillidae
Genus:	Anguilla
Species:	*A. anguilla*

Binomial name

Anguilla anguilla
(Linnaeus, 1758)

The European eel, Anguilla anguilla,^[1] is a snake-like, facultatively catadromous fish, which can reach in exceptional cases a length of 1½ m, but is normally much smaller, about 60–80 cm, and rarely more than 1 m. They are generally believed to spawn in the Sargasso Sea and the larvae (Leptocephalus) migrate towards Europe in a three-year-long migration. As glass eels they reach the coasts of Europe and enter estuaries. Before entering fresh water, the glass eels metamorphose into elvers. They spend most of their lives in freshwater, although recent studies on the related Japanese eels (Anguilla japonica) show that some populations of that species never migrate into freshwater, but spend their lives in marine or estuarine habitats. Those eels living in freshwater undergo changes in pigmentation; their bellies turn yellow. It is assumed that the yellow-coloring acts as a protection from predators as it makes it harder to visually detect the animals. The slimy coating of the eel is thought to protect the fish against changes in salinity.

life circle of eel

Since the 1970s, the numbers of eels reaching Europe is thought to have declined by around 90% (possibly even 98%). It is unclear whether this is part of a normal long term cycle, or whether this reflects a decline in eel numbers generally. Potential causes include overfishing, parasites such as Anguillicola crassus, river barriers such as hydroelectric plants, and natural changes in the North Atlantic oscillation, Gulf Stream and the North Atlantic drift. Recent work suggests that PCB pollution may be a major factor in the decline ^[2].

Eels have been important sources of food both as adults (including the famous jellied eels of East London) and as elvers. Elver fishing using basket traps has been of significant economic value in many river estuaries on the western sea-board of Europe.

References

1. ^ Anguilla anguilla (TSN 161128). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 11 March 2006.
2. ^ (2006) PCBs are killing off eels. New Scientist 2452: 6.

External links

More info at fishbase
"Anguilla anguilla". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. 10 2005 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2005.

Gallery

Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. Scientific classification also can be called scientific taxonomy, but should be distinguished from folk taxonomy, which lacks scientific basis.
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Chordata
Bateson, 1885

Typical Classes

See below

Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates.
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Actinopterygii
Klein, 1885

Subclasses

Chondrostei
Neopterygii
See text for orders.
The Actinopterygii (the plural form of Actinopterygius) comprise the class of the ray-finned fishes.
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Anguilliformes

Suborders
See text for suborders and families.
True eels (Anguilliformes) are an order of fish, which consists of 4 suborders, 19 families, 110 genera and 400 species. Most eels are predators.
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Anguillidae

Genus: Anguilla
Schrank, 1798

Species
See text.

Anguillidae is a family of fishes that contains many of the freshwater eels.
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binomial nomenclature is the formal system of naming species. The system is also called binominal nomenclature (particularly in zoological circles), binary nomenclature (particularly in botanical circles), or the binomial classification system.
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Carolus Linnaeus (Carl von Linné)

Carl von Linné, Alexander Roslin, 1775. Currently owned by and hanging at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
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diadromous fish travel between salt and fresh water. (Greek: 'Dia' is between) There are three types of diadromous fish:

anadromous fish live in the sea mostly, breed in fresh water (Greek: 'Ana' is up; The noun is "anadromy")
catadromous

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1 metre =
SI units
1000 mm 0 cm
US customary / Imperial units
0 ft 0 in

The metre or meter^[1](symbol: m) is the fundamental unit of length in the International System of Units (SI).
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1 centimetre =
SI units
010⁻³ m 0 mm
US customary / Imperial units
010⁻³ ft 0 in

A centimetre (American spelling: centimeter, symbol cm
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Sargasso Sea is an elongated region in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by ocean currents. On the west it is bounded by the Gulf Stream; on the north, by the North Atlantic Current; on the east, by the Canary Current; and on the south, by the North Atlantic
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larva (Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of animal with indirect development, undergoing metamorphosis (for example, insects or amphibians).

The larva can look completely different from the adult form, for example, a caterpillar differs from a butterfly.
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A leptocephalus is the flat and transparent larva of the eel and other members of the Superorder Elopomorpha, including the conger, tarpon, bonefish, and pelican eel. This transparency is due in part to its surprising lack of red blood cells.
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Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of the Earth. Physically and geologically, Europe is the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, west of Asia. Europe is bounded to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the west by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by the Mediterranean Sea,
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Fresh Water is the debut album by Australian rock and blues singer Alison McCallum, released in 1972. Rare for an Australian artist at the time, it came in a gatefold sleeve.
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A. japonica

Binomial name
Anguilla japonica
(Temminck & Schlegel, 1847)

The Japanese eel, Anguilla japonica
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SLIME, the Superior Lisp Interaction Mode for Emacs, is an Emacs mode for developing Common Lisp applications. SLIME originates in an Emacs mode called SLIM written by Eric Marsden and developed as an open-source project by Luke Gorrie and Helmut Eller.
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Salinity is the saltiness or dissolved salt content of a body of water. Salinity in Australian English and North American English may refer to salt in soil (see soil salination).

Definition

Water salinity
Fresh water Brackish water Saline water Brine
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Overfishing occurs when fishing activities reduce fish stocks below an acceptable level. This can occur in any body of water from a pond to the oceans. More precise biological and bioeconomic terms define 'acceptable level'.
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Parasitism is one version of symbiosis ("living together"), a phenomenon in which two organisms which are phylogenetically unrelated co-exist over a prolonged period of time, usually the lifetime of one of the individuals.
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A. crassus

Binomial name
Anguillicola crassus
Kuwahara, Niimi and Hagaki, 1974

Anguillicola crassus is a parasitic nematode worm that lives in the swimbladders of eels (Anguilla
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Hydroelectricity is electricity produced by hydropower. Hydroelectricity now supplies about 715,000 MWe or 19% of world electricity (16% in 2003), accounting for over 63% of the total electricity from renewables in 2005.
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The North Atlantic oscillation (NAO) is a climatic phenomenon in the North Atlantic Ocean of fluctuations in the difference of sea-level pressure between the Icelandic Low and the Azores high.
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Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension towards Europe, the North Atlantic Drift, is a powerful, warm, and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico, exits through the Strait of Florida,and follows the eastern coastlines of the United
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North Atlantic Drift is:

A synonym for a component of the ocean circulation: North Atlantic Current
An album by Ocean Colour Scene: North Atlantic Drift (album)

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Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a class of organic compounds with 1 to 10 chlorine atoms attached to biphenyl and a general chemical formula of C₁₂H_10-xCl_x.
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Pollution is the introduction of pollutants (whether chemical substances, or energy such as noise, heat, or light) into the environment to such a point that its effects become harmful to human health, other living organisms, or the environment.
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Jellied eels are eels cooked for approximately half an hour and allowed to cool. The juices then solidify forming the jelly. Sometimes gelatine is added. Jellied eels are often eaten with chili vinegar.

The dish is an East End of London delicacy, often sold with pie and mash.
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