THE FRESHWATER EEL FAMILY Anguillidae
AMERICAN EEL Anguilla rostrata (Lesueur, 1817)
DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE: Native. American eels are abundant
along the Massachusetts coast; as well as in ponds, rivers, and in
streams which are connected to the ocean. Eels are, or at least were, a very valuable
commercial Massachusetts fishery. Over 240,000 pounds were taken
in 1919 but this was reduced to 33,000 pounds annually by 1947.
Catches have varied through the years based on economy and demand
rather than the actual abundance of eels. In the late 1970's, a
large export fishery existed but this market collapsed with the
changing dollar and in the discovery of pollutants in eel flesh.
from: An Annotated Working List of the Inland Fishes of
Massachusetts. © 1996. K.E. Hartel (hartel@mcz.harvard.edu),
D.B. Halliwell (arcsys@mint.net) and A.E. Launer (aelauner@leland.stanford.edu).