The American Eel (Text from: Murdy et al. 1997)

The American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) of the Family Anguillidae is a nocturnally omnivorous catadramous fish, leaving its freshwater habitat and migrating to the ocean to spawn.  Reproductive migration occurs in autumn, with adults descending streams and rivers to begin their journey to an area north of the Bahamas (the Sargasso Sea), where spawning is believed to start in January. Adult American eels purportedly die after spawning.  Leptocephalus larvae of American eels drift in ocean currents for about 9-12 months before entering coastal waters. Leptocephali are approximately 60 mm (2.4 in) in total length when they arrive in coastal waters, where they metamorphose into a stage with a more eel-like appearance (the glass eel stage). In the estuary, glass eels become pigmented and are then called elvers (Fig. 1). Within a few months, elvers enter the yellow eel stage, which persists until sexual maturity.  The Family Anguillidae occurs in all seas except the eastern Pacific and South Atlantic and is represented by a single genus and approximately 15 species.

Literature Cited

Murdy, E.O., R. S. Birdsong, and J.A. Musick. 1997. Fishes of the Chesapeake Bay. Smithsonian Institution Press: Washington.