The Secret Life of Eels

C. Schmitt,

eelsMBHHcoverOTHER MIGRATORY FISH get more attention than the American eel. Salmon is the king of fish; the alewife, the fish that feeds all; shad, the founding fish. Sturgeon are dinosaurs; smelt, the ice shack fish. Yet, historically, the eel was more widespread and abundant than any of these in the northeast United States. The undeserved neglect is likely a result of the eel’s snakelike nature, or perhaps because more than any other species of sea-run fish, the eel has evaded human explanation and understanding…read more in the March-April issue of Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors. Photos by Heather Perry.