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Eel
(Anguilla anguilla)
Fact File: British Record 11lb 2oz
(5.046kg)
Captor: S. Terry
Location: Kingfisher Lake, Ringwood, Hampshire
Year: 1978
The eel you either love them or hate them. There is no
problem distinguishing the eel from any other fish, with its long slimy snake
like body,large mouth with lower protruding jaw containing numerous small teeth,
and its dorsal and anal fins are continuos around the tail, with only small
pectoral fins being similar to other fish.
Its colouring is black or dark grey on its back, with
yellow or silver sides and a white or cream under belly.
The females grow much larger than the males, reaching
up to a meter in length. The male will make it to about half this size. Slow
growing they can take up to twelve years to reach full maturity. Once mature the
Eel is then ready to embark on its the long migration to the Sargasso
sea.
The adult eel changes from yellow to silver as it nears
its sexual maturity. It stops feeding and survives on the large amount of fat
stored up for its migration, its nose becomes more pointed and the eyes much
larger. The biggest change is the eels ability to adapt from fresh water to
saltwater, once this happens, the migration begins. It can take several years
for the eel to reach its breading ground, which is the Sargasso sea in the
Atlantic ocean near Bermuda.
Spawning is believed to take place in deep water, where
after the adults die the young are carried by the gulf stream right up untill
they reach European shores. In this time they have transformed from leaf shaped
larva to an elver. A small transparent form of an older eel, then as they make
there way up stream they darken in colour.
The Eel then stay in the fresh water systems until
mature and the cycle begins again. The eel is the scavenger of the water, and
search for there food by sight and smell. Which are both strong senses for the
eel. The eel becomes more active at dusk and will feed on most small fish,
snails, larvae and worms as they are mainly nocturnal
feeders.