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American eel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
American Eel
Anguilla rostrata
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Anguilliformes
Family: Anguillidae
Genus: Anguilla
Species: A. rostrata
Binomial name
Anguilla rostrata
Le Sueur, 1821
The American eel (Anguilla rostrata) is a fish found on the Eastern coast of the United States. It has a snake-like body with a small sharp pointed head. It is brown on top and a tan-yellow color on the bottom. It has sharp pointed teeth but no pelvic fins.
Contents [hide]
1 Reproduction
2 Habitat
3 Economic value
4 Recreational Angling Importance
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Reproduction
Distribution and size of leptocephali larvae of the American eel
Glass Eel on the online in situ microscope at the LEO projectThe female American eel spawns in salt water, and it takes 9 to 10 weeks for the eggs to hatch. After hatching, young eels move toward North America and enter freshwater systems to mature. The female can lay up to 4 million buoyant eggs a year, but frequently dies after egg-laying.
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Habitat
The eel likes fresh water, and is found around the Atlantic coast including the Chesapeake Bay. It prefers to hunt at night, and during the day it hides in mud, sand, or gravel.
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Economic value
American Eels are economically very important to the East Coast and rivers where they travel. They are caught by fishermen and sold, eaten or kept as pets. Eels help the Atlantic coast ecosystem by eating dead fish, invertebrates and carrion, and might even eat insects if hungry enough; it will even eat its own family.
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Recreational Angling Importance
Although many anglers are put off by the snake-like appearance of eels and the prodigious amounts of slime they produce when captured, eels are in fact exceptionally good fish. They are usually caught by anglers fishing for something else. The world record weight for the American Eel is 9.25 pounds.
I caught one in Whitman's pond in Weymouth about 6 or 7 years ago. It ate my shiner (fishing for largemouths). It was about 4 feet long and as thick as my arm. Slimy bugger. I cut the hook off and let him go. Kind of surprized me as I had caught a couple 4 pound bass and I thought I had hooked a big one.
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Threaded Mode