eel talk

[Guest phonebush]

We have a discussion thread on our State site about eels in Missouri. I have reviewed the "facts" from search engines but still have a couple questions.

 

First since all eels seem to spawn together is there a difference between American and European eels?

 

Do elvers inherit a pre-disposition to the same water as previous generations? I can detect no particular differences in east or west eels. Is there a difference?

Missouri has no ocean. Our nearest access to the Sargasso(SP) Sea is thousands of miles away with many opportunistic water between "us & them". Why do we have eels?

The Missouri record eel is about 6 lb. How old is a 6 lb eel?

Phone

PS are they really "slippery as an eel"?

[Guest tony jolley]

Hi sorry I havent time at the moment to answer your questions I will deffinatly answer later.

"I ow, I ow, Its off to work I go!"

 

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Tony B.T Jolley

[Guest tony jolley]

Hello,

The american eel and the european eel are I believe very simalar except for the number of vartibray I believe,

There has been the theory that cross inhabitation is possible, but I`m not sure I could tell the differance by sight.

The distance from the sea may seem a distance, Do you have a rivers system near you that the eels could swim up until they reach open lakes? The distance then would be irrelavent.

I believe Elvers to be able to negotiate the subsoil water tables via under ground streams and rivers,

this would go along way to explain the colonization of "Land locked waters"

Have a go at trying to catch an eel, Try night crawlers, or small dead or live baits on a resistance free ledger rig.

Take a look at the N,A,C web site for some info on the european eel and see if the info will relate to catching your american eels.

Let us know how you get on, and then you will know how slipperley an eel is ( wet your hands before you try to hold it so as not to remove the slime of the eel, if you dont wet your hands the slime is hard to get off your hands.

Best luck,

[Guest tony jolley]

Can you post details of the thread adress so I can take a look,

 

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Tony B.T Jolley

[Guest NICK ROSE]

Anthony the surreal stuff is on the Eel Societies thread mate.

[Guest tony jolley]

thanks Nick I lost my way.

I am going to e,mail you soon keep a look out!

 

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Tony B.T Jolley

[Guest Clive]

Phonebush

 

Differences between the USA and European eels : They are two seperate species, USA is anguilla Rostrata, European is Anguilla Anguilla. Both are suspected of having SIMILAR spawning grounds in the Sargasso sea areas of the Carribean. The USA eels have approx 106 vertibrate and the European eels have approx 114 vertibrate. Checkout the book by L Bertin (Details at end)

 

Disposition for same water as previous generations : NO , distribution is determined initially by ocean currents but then elvers are then driven by chemical conditions - salinity etc - when entering tidal rivers etc.

 

Why do you have eels? - Ocean curents disperse then to gulf coast and then they swim progressively into fresher water- presumably up the missisippi and the Misouri rivers and onwards to stillwaters via drains canals etc. We get them after drifting across the Atlantic on the Gulf stream to Europe.

 

A 7lb eel (Anguilla Anguilla )caught by John Sidley was aged at 68 years .

 

As far as i know there are no eels that spawn in the Pacific ie west of the USA all are soucred from the eastern seaboard. Are their eels on the west coast?

 

Any questions relating to biology of eels checkout Leon Bertins excellant book - Eels, A Biological Study, Published in 1955, its not easy to find, and heavy going but has masses of factual evidence.

 

Clive Dennison (Gen Sec Eel Study Group)

[Guest phonebush]

Tony,

Here is the Missouri State site: http://www.conservation.state.mo.us/cgi-bi.../ultimatebb.cgi

Be wary of local custom. I believe you can just search "eel"

Phone

[Guest phonebush]

Clive,

Do you keep this site on your favorites list? I believe it is maintained in Portugal. http://www.fishbase.org/search.cfm

Thanks for the info.

It still seems curious to me that eels would swim against the very strong current around the tip of Florida, thence up the Mississippi River to such remote inland places as the Missouri Ozark mountains. I calculate they travel about 3000 miles and all upstream as it is.

Phone

PS I have never seen an eel west of the Mississippi drainage system.

[Guest tony jolley]

Anyone reading this most somehow grasp how amazing these eels are???????????.

RESPECT PLEASE!!!

 

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Tony B.T Jolley