If this should turn out to be a serious problem, a solution may be at hand. Eel farms have existed throughout the world for more than 2,000 years. Eels provide much more than just food for human consumption. The skins of American eels once were a source for quality book bindings and buggy whips. In Japan, shoes, wallets and brief cases are sometimes made from eel hides.
Eels also serve as animal fodder, fertilizer and an ingredient in some glues.
Medieval folk tales even led some to believe that larval eels came from the hairs of horses' tails or the dews of May mornings. Michael Wisenbaker is' a Tallahassee-based writer who frequently covers nature.