Public comment
 

Wanted to share some info from a conversation I had with my former graduate adviser who is the science director for the ASMFC. We were just shooting the general bs about what is on the calender for asmfc and I learned a few tidbits of interest.

A. no decision on eels will be made until at least August of 2006. The plan has to be written and the public comment period opened prior to reconvening the board and initiation of the laws. Most striking is the fact the the eel data will be several years old until any action is taken. My adviser is rather concerned and disturbed by the time it takes for action particularly because the data indicates that the population is/was well below sustainability. Also, anyaction will not reflect the population of eels at the time measures are inacted.

B. Not really new news to me, but the scientific background of many of the decisionmakers involved is quite limited and even the science behind the decisions is rather archaic.

C. Most important to me: public comment is actually an important part of the process. It is statistically analyzed and presented at the meetings. Statistics do lie, but the power of a group like recreational fisherman can be influential if we speak up. The lack of input likely has at least as big of an impact.

d. There are only four meetings a year by the board in D.C. Call them annual quarterly meetings. Now think of all of the issues that must be addressed in 4 meetings on top of all of the other issues with fisheries and it becomes clear why fisheries are such a mess.

e. Nobody knows how to handle the by-catch problem.

:) ahhhhh another year with eels !

If the Eel population is under distress, why not commercial raise them?
Does anyone at this point?

It seems given their durability and adaptation to fresh and Salt waters this wouldn't be that difficult.

They do farm raise them , but only with elvers collected in the wild. I dont think they know how to get them to breed in captivity yet.

This is correct. I am hoping to get the chance to work on this sometime soon...

I hear there is a dvd coming out about the mating habits of eels... it's called, "Eels Gone Wild, Hot Nights In The Sargasso Sea" maybe we'll learn more after its release.

:D :D

i love eels!how come the people that trap them are not saying there numbers are down?the bait shop were i get my eels always seams to have pleanty.

Just to drive the prices up just like the gas we use

I don't have my notes handy but the commercial catch of eels has declined from several million pounds in 1985 to less than 700 thousand pounds in 2002 and likely has declined further since 2002. So the answer to your question is that the people who trap them are saying that their numbers are waaaay down.

IMHO its going to be a race to see whether the ASMFC or the U.S. fish & wildife service will act first. Either way I'm betting that all commercial harvest will be stopped.

For several years, as a private non funded personal research project, I have been putting eels in a small pond (landlocked) where I live and I keep looking for elvers, none yet. If I see them I may go into a new line of work.

when i was a kid me and my father used to fish for horned pout (bullheads) and we caught eels at the same time in land locked ponds.

You won't find any elvers from reproduction in freshwater lakes. They all (american eel) reproduce in the Sargasso sea. Adults return to sea in winter and early spring. Larvae grow at sea and become elvers in near shore areas. Apparently the problem is with reduced numbers of elvers on their return trips, presumably from being harvested but who knows ....

I wonder if some guy in MD tried the same with the Chinese Lionhead :rotfl:

Seriously, my understanding is that they are cantadramous and will only spawn in saltwater and that saltwater is in fact, the Sargasso Sea off Bermuda.

From what I have read, there are a lot of assumptions about where they spawn. They are assuming they return to the sargosso sea because they saw some elvers out there and the only explanation on how they got there is that they must be spawing there.

As far as I know eels have never been seen spawning.

Frankly it is hard for me to belive that A) eels swim all the way back to the SS and actually make it alive and B) the elvers drift from the SS along and are distributed along the coast without being consumed. The story is hard for me to accept esp since no one has witnessed spawing in the SS. Is it possible? Sure, I would never believe a herring makes a run back to its birthplace either but they in fact do. But what makes it hard for me to believe is that most baitfish spawn in shallow waters (ponds, bays etc) not open ocean. When was the last time you saw a school of elvers offshore swimming for beach? You find them in streams and ponds.

I think given the right conditions (which I probably will never get in my pond) they should spawn. My hope is that eventually, over time they will get horny enough and give it a go. :humpty: :laughs:

I saw elvers this past spring coming in from the beach in a couple areas.

John,
I belive that it is speeled catandromus. :) FWIW, I've been doing a lot of research on eels for four feature articles that I'm working on. Belive it or not, it is currently belived that the largest single source of eel mortality is hydroelectric dams. Eels migrate downstream in the lower portions of the water column, where they get sucked into turbines and chopped to pieces. The second largest source of eels mortality is commercial fishing. there is virtually no recreational fishing for eels. To learn more watch for the upcoming issues of On The Water, Nor'east saltwater, Striped Bass and Sportfishing.

Feel free to ask questions, I'll answer what I can. But there is an awful lots of information that is not known about both Americcan and european eels. BTW they all spawn in the Saragasso sea, even though they are different species and follow different migration routes

iam not to fussy about where i spawn. :blush: :biglaugh:

Makomike, have you read the book 'Consider the Eel'????? lots of eel info in there i hear. havnet read it myself, but its on the winter 'to read' list.

WHos the author??

beats me.. search google or maybe amazon.com

im in the middle of 'Double Whammy' by Carl Hiassen.... best fishing book i have ever read. a largemouth bass/murder mystery :D

Richard schweid-
its a great book

Eben,
No I haven't read that book, is it a layman's explanation or does it contain scientific facts and cites? I've read about the equivalent of four books of scientific papers on the subject of the American eel over the last month or so.

makomike- i have read the book and can only say i was amazed at the time this guy put into reaserching- the eel, the people who catch eels and the people who use/eat them. it is very well written- i blew through it in less than 2 days. if you are writing about eels & fishing this book will give you a pretty good idea of the implications of the commercial impact on the population. he has done his homework and quotes the statistics. if you plan on writting articles about eels you should read this book.

Correct me if I am wrong but
 

are not the netting or capturing of elvers just a tad illegal? I would bet that thier are many obstacles to overcome if someone tried to farm raise eels.

See, you should consider the eel :hihi:

I fresh water fish a few times a year. I have caught eels in south shore ponds, lakes in Maine and one that was at least 3 feet long up at Lake Champlain.

So are these eels different than the ones dicussed.

If not how do they end up in land locked spot?

Illegal everywhere but maine and canada , i think.

If I am not mistaken I think the Saragasso sea is more of a condition. A by product of the gulf stream than a particular place.It can be in lots of places.Seams loke a long ride to have sex.I don't go more than a few miles.At least i ain't a salmon.

#^&#^&#^&#^& Schweid? That must have been a tough name to have as a kid.