American Eel

The American eel inhabits marine, estuarine and fresh water habitats just like many other diadromous species. However, the America eel is not an anadromous species of fish. The American eel has a life history strategy that is diﬀerent from all of the other diadromous species in North America. The American eel is catadromous. The American eel lives in fresh or brackish water during as an adult and then migrates into the ocean to spawn. American eel adults die after spawning. American eel inhabiting the eastern Atlantic coast of the United States are managed by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission with the Atlantic Coast Fishery Management Plan for American Eel. A status review of the Atlantic coast American eel populations was completed in January 2007 and 2015. Results of both of these reviews determined that Atlantic coast American eel populations did not warrant a listing as threatened or endangered.
The Great Lakes Fishery Commission also acknowledges the precarious state of American eel populations in the Great Lakes. The American eel faces multiple threats because they are harvested at various stages of their life cycle for aquaculture, bait, and food. The long migration pattern of the American eel have forced multiple ﬁshery management jurisdictions such as the United States, Canada, and tribes to all work together to conserve and restore American eel stocks. The American eel is a migratory species. Unlike many other migratory species, The American eel spends its adult life in fresh water and then migrates down to the Sargasso Sea(salt water) to reproduce. These fish migrate up and down the Atlantic coast of the U.S.
Category:Fish
Category:Wildlife