The Secret Life of the American Eel

Juvenile American Eels

Photo Credit: Uwe Kils, wikipedia.org

- Tucker Smith, Guest Contributor

Did you know Rye’s very own Blind Brook is a waystation for migrating eels? In early spring, American eels (Anguilla rostrata) migrate from the Sargasso Sea in the Atlantic Ocean to streams and brooks throughout the Northeast.  American eels start their migration journey as larvae, traveling north with the Gulf Stream current. The current brings them to the Northeastern coast, where they develop from larvae into glass eels. The glass eels then transition from salt water to freshwater as they make their way to tidal rivers and streams. 

Glass eels remain in tidal streams for years as they mature into adult eels. Once they are mature, they migrate through the tidal streams back to the Sargasso Sea, where they mate and produce the next generation of eels. When the baby eels hatch as larvae, the cycle begins again.

In early spring, FRNC collects data on migrating eels. Staff members and volunteers catch glass eels in a fyke net in the Blind Brook. They observe and record data about the eels, then release them to continue their migration. To learn more about this project, visit the DEC eel monitoring page here or FRNC’s Citizen Science page here. If you want to get involved with this project, email jax@ryenaturecenter.org. Monitoring begins in March––we hope you’ll join us!