That was 60 or 70 years ago, but it's part of the lore of this 24-acre salt pond that lies tucked just behind the shore of Mattapoisett Harbor. The pond is hidden from sight by trees and high grasses. The best way to see it is to walk along the abandoned railroad bed off Depot Street. You can also get a view of the shapely blue pond from Reservation Road on its western shore. Last year, the nonprofit organization rated it as second only to Apponagansett Bay in Dartmouth as the saltwater embayment with the most severe eutrophication.
Eutrophication comes from a Greek word meaning nutrients.
Highly eutrophic saltwater such as Eel Pond has too many nutrients to sustain a rich variety of plants and animals. A certain number of nutrients, primarily nitrogen, is needed to help plants grow in a pond, but an excess causes detrimental algal blooms. The algae then strips the water of oxygen needed for fish and shellfish. Some algae actually form wide, rug-like mats that suffocate microscopic crustaceans and worms on the muddy bottom. Once famous for oysters as well as eels, the pond has been closed to any type of shellfishing for more than a decade.