The eels I have been getting are grown for bait. They are given a growth hormone and in 6 mo they are pretty darn big. But the problem is they look a little weird. They have large bug-like eyes, they don't stay on the hook as well as the natural ones do (a weak jaw) and they are shorter and thinker then natural ones. The bass sem to eat them ok but I like the natural ones caught in cages.
Eels are gone around here now. The cormorants got them all. (another protected species)
the DMF and other prtection freaks don't get the big picture.
The seal is the next huge problem...we need to thin the numbers.