They can grow up to five feet long. Yellow eels inhabit the fresh and brackish waters of the Bay until they reach sexual maturity. Age at maturity varies greatly with location. Eels in southern locations mature at an earlier age then their northern counterparts. Maturation in the Chesapeake Bay ranges from 8 to 24 years.
Sexual maturation involves a final metamorphosis that prepares the eels for ocean life.
Their skin becomes thicker, and changes from yellow to a bronze black sheen. Their bodies grow fatter, their pectoral fins enlarge, and their eyes grow larger and change pigmentation. Their swim bladders also change, and their digestive systems disintegrate, so they no longer eat. Currently this work is funded through the Virginia Marine Resources Commission Commercial Fishery Advisory Board and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission. The harvesting of eels during the glass or elver stage is illegal in most states including Virginia.