Eel as food

Eelsare elongated fish, ranging in length from five centimetres (2 in) to four metres (13 ft).Adults range in weight from 30 grams to over 25 kilograms. They possess nopelvic fins, and many species also lackpectoral fins. Thedorsalandanal finsare fused with thecaudalor tail fin, forming a single ribbon running along much of the length of the animal.Most eels live in the shallow waters of theoceanand burrow into sand, mud, or amongst rocks. A majority of eel species are nocturnal and thus are rarely seen. Sometimes, they are seen living together in holes, or "eel pits". Some species of eels live in deeper water on the continental shelves and over the slopes deep as 4,000 metres (13,000 ft). Only members of the familyAnguillidaeregularly inhabit fresh water, but they too return to the sea to breed.
Eel blood is poisonous to humansand other mammals,but both cooking and the digestive process destroy the toxic protein. The toxin derived from eel blood serum was used byCharles Richetin his Nobel Prize-winning research, in which Richet discoveredanaphylaxisby injecting it into dogs and observing the effect.
The Jewish laws ofkashrutforbid the eating of eels.
Japan consumes more than 70 percent of the global eel catch.
Freshwater eels (unagi) and marine eels (anago,conger eel) are commonly used inJapanese cuisine; foods such asunadonandunajuuare popular but expensive. Eels are also very popular inChinese cuisineand are prepared in many different ways.Hong Kongeel prices have often reached 1000HKDper kilogram and once exceeded 5000 HKD per kilogram. Eel is also popular inKorean cuisineand is seen as a source of stamina for men.TheEuropean eeland other freshwater eels are eaten inEurope, theUnited States, and other places. Traditional east London foods arejellied eelsandpie and mash, although their demand has significantly declined since World War II. InItalian cuisineeels from theValli di Comacchio, a swampy zone along theAdriaticcoast, are especially prized along with freshwater eels ofBolsena Lake.Eels are popular in the cuisines ofNortheast India.Freshwater eels, known askusiainAssamese, are eaten with curry,often with herbs.
Eels are a Priority Species under the UK Post-2010 Biodiversity Framework. The European eel (Anguilla anguilla) is listed as Critically Endangered on the global IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. While the Japanese eel (Anguilla japonica) and American eel (Anguilla rostrata) are assessed as Endangered.
In 2010,Greenpeace Internationaladded theAmerican eel,European eel, andJapanese eelto its seafood red list. "The Greenpeace International seafood red list is a list of fish that are commonly sold in supermarkets around the world, and which have a very high risk of being sourced from unsustainable fisheries."
The US government deems the commercial eel industry was worth $12 million in Maine in 2017.
The eel was a cheap, nutritious and readily available food source for the people of London; European eels were once so common in theThamesthat nets were set as far upriver as London itself, and eels became astaplefor London's poor. The first "Eel Pie & Mash Houses" opened in London in the 18th century, and the oldest surviving shop —M.Manze— has been open since 1902.