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At first glance, it may seem that this is not a fish at all, but a snake. A more detailed study turns out that this is a magnificent fish that is actively eaten in many countries of the world, but in our area this fish is popular only in certain regions as an object of fishing interest, although it is found everywhere.

Description of the eel and features of its life cycle

The eel has a long and almost cylindrical body, which becomes progressively flatter towards the end, which is the tail. Thanks to long tail This fish can move like a snake. The head may differ in shape depending on the individual, but in all it is necessarily flattened and cone-shaped. According to the size of the head, zoologists distinguish river eels into several types.

eel lower jaw slightly longer than the upper, and on each jaw there are small, but very sharp teeth. The eyes are yellow-gray and very small. For freedom of movement, there are long fins that practically merge with the whole body, and run along its entire length.

At first glance, it may seem that the eel does not have any scales, however, this is due to the mucus that thickly covers the entire body. If you wash it off, you will notice the presence of oblong scales that have wrong location and practically do not touch each other.

The body color of an eel can vary greatly depending on the individual and the conditions of the place of residence, but in the vast majority of the belly it has a yellow-white or grey-blue tint, at the same time, the body itself can be dark green or blue-black, and in shallow waters with a light bottom - brown.

The largest populations of this fish are in water bodies in the Mediterranean, Baltic and German Seas. In our area, this fish is also not a rarity.

Unlike other fish, the eel spends the beginning of its life in freshwater, and then descends closer to the sea and salt water to spawn. Also, its very interesting feature is the ability to crawl well and move on wet ground. And, thanks to the peculiarities of the structure of their gills, the eel has the ability to stay out of the water for about 10-12 hours.



River eels tend to stick to waters with muddy or clay bottoms and avoid sandy and rocky bottoms. This fish shows its activity only at night, all daytime he spends lying on the bottom or staying in his holes.

The eel feeds on worms, insects, small fish, frogs, and very large individuals - even small waterfowl chicks.

Catching river eel by hand

Many different methods can be used to catch river eel. This fish is burrowing, and always has two burrow entrances, which are usually located under stones and snags. It is customary to catch an eel immediately from a hole in this way: after gently feeling the fish (he is not afraid of this), determine the location of the head and bring a frequent and strong net to that side. After a pinch in the tail, the fish, frightened, will rush forward and fall into the net prepared for it. Also, special frequent networks through which he cannot slip.

Another well-known folk way of catching eels and loaches by hand without fishing gear is with a basket.

A large wicker basket is taken and lowered into the water at the holes of these fish. Further with a stick, with noise, the water is strongly stirred up. A frightened fish rushes away from the noise and immediately falls into the basket. In one sitting, you can catch several specimens of different sizes.

Catching eels with a pole and a donk

Fishing in Western and Eastern Europe starts from the beginning of April, when the weather becomes more or less warm. River eel has a very developed charm, therefore, it is not difficult to attach it to the place of fishing - it is enough to throw a piece of intestine, rolled in the sand, a piece of carrion into the water near the hook, or even simply dropping a special vessel with blood into the water. Also, anglers widely use ready-made flavors for the bait itself.



Lamprey is an excellent bait for eel

For fishing, like for pike, small dead or live fish, creeps, red worms, as well as pieces of other fish can be used, it is best to use lamprey meat.

The eel has a relatively small mouth, but always swallows its prey immediately and whole, so it would be advisable to use small hooks With serial number 5. When fishing, it is obligatory to use a special metal or bass leash. Like all tackle, the line and rod for catching eel must be very strong, otherwise there is a chance of losing both tackle and fish.

You should not try to play this fish, it is simply impossible to tire it, and at the first sign of danger, it will hide in a hole in the silt or under a snag, perhaps even wrapping itself around it several times.

In this situation, even with the strongest gear, you can no longer do anything, except to wait until the fish (perhaps) release the line.

The bite of this fish is bright and immediately noticeable. After a bite, you should not wait with hooking, you need to hook immediately and vigorously, and no less energetically take this fish out of the water and take it away from the shore.

Even after taking the eel out of the water, take care of the fishing line, otherwise it will completely confuse it. Keeping this fish alive is simply pointless, and impossible, because getting a hook out of it while it is still alive is almost impossible. To kill this fish, you need to cut the backbone or hit its tail on something heavy, because it is in the tail that its most sensitive place is located.




In any case, some care must be taken when handling eels, and in particular, very large individuals weighing more than 3 kilograms should be treated with particular caution, since there is a risk of wrapping this fish around the arm. And since this fish is distinguished by its special strength, it can easily break the hand of a fisherman.

How to Treat an Acne

Before cooking, this fish must be specially processed and, first of all, cleaned of mucus. The eel is very slippery, so you need to moisten your hands and dip them in coarse salt. Mucus is easily removed dry waffle towel. Many people even prefer to remove the skin from the fish by cutting it around the head. But, if you are going to pickle the eel, then do not remove the skin - it will be tastier. Red dry wine is excellent for pickling, and after frying or stewing, sweet and sour sauce is prepared for fish.

Eel is the only river fish that is used to make rolls. And in smoked form, it is considered one of the best delicacies.

Video

caught eel

Fishing for eel

In 2008, it was included in the IUCN Red Book as a "critically endangered" species.

Description

It has a long body with a brownish-greenish back, with yellowness on the sides and ventral part. The skin is very slippery and the scales are small. The body is serpentine, cylindrical in front, slightly laterally compressed in the rear. Enough large head slightly flattened at the top. Small eyes (the diameter is from 1/8 to 1/12 the length of the head) are located above the corners of the mouth. On the jaws and vomer, small and sharp teeth are arranged in several rows. The dorsal and anal fins are fused with the tail. The dorsal fin begins far behind the pectorals, but in front of the anus. The pectoral fins are well developed, the ventral fins are absent. The lateral line is well marked. Pectoral fins with 15-21 rays; the number of vertebrae is 111 - 119, usually 114-116.

Coloration varies greatly. In juveniles, the back is dark green, olive or grey-brown, without markings, the belly is yellow or yellowish white, which becomes silvery white in adults.

Reaches two meters in length and weighs 4 kg.

Biology

In 2016, it was proven for the first time that pool eels mediterranean sea go to the Atlantic and, most likely, spawn in the Sargasso Sea. Previously, this was assumed, but there was no complete certainty.

Range and habitat

It lives in the waters of the Baltic Sea basin, in much smaller numbers - in the rivers and lakes of the basins of the Azov, Black, White, Barents, and Caspian Seas. It is found in many reservoirs of the European part of Russia.

It is able to overcome significant areas of land on grass wet from rain or dew, moving from one reservoir to another and thus ending up in closed, drainless lakes. Prefers calm waters, but also found in fast currents. Keeps in the lower layers at different depths and any bottom soil in shelters, which can be: a hole, a boulder, a snag, dense thickets of grass.

Human interaction

It is an object of commercial fishing. The world catch was (thousand tons): 1989 - 11.4; 1990 - 11.1; 1991 - 10.1; 1992 - 10.7, 1993 - 9.5; 1994 - 9.4; 1995 - 8.6; 1996 - 8.5; 1997 - 10.1; 1998 - 7.5; 1999 - 7.5; 2000 - 7.9. River eels are caught mainly with hooks, traps and other fishing gear; is an object of sport fishing.

The European eel has very soft, tasty meat. It can be fried, smoked and marinated. Eel in jelly canned food is produced from eel.

Notes

  1. Vertebrates animals of Russia: river eel
  2. Reshetnikov Yu. S. , Kotlyar A. N., Ras T. S. , Shatunovsky M. I. Five-language dictionary of animal names. Fish. Latin, Russian, English, German, French. / under the general editorship of acad. V. E. Sokolova. - M.: Rus. yaz., 1989. - S. 105. - 12,500 copies. - ISBN 5-200-00237-0.

Common, or European, eel, has elongated shape body and fins in the form of a fold. The way of life and migration of the eel is the subject of careful study by scientists.
Acne mysterious I'm a fish. It differs significantly from other fish in shape, more like a snake. The long (up to 2 m) body of an eel is covered with very slippery skin (sometimes they even say “slippery like an eel”), so it is almost impossible to hold it in your hands. The scales, unlike other fish, are very small, almost absent. There are no pelvic fins. There are also some differences in the structure of the skeleton. An interesting property blackhead is ability long time be in the air. This is due to the fact that wet skin slippery eels absorb oxygen well. Sometimes they can even crawl from one body of water to another on wet grass.
Dimensions.
Length: male - 30-51 cm, female - 40-100 (150) cm.
Weight: 3.5 kg, less often - up to 6 kg.

related species.
The acne family includes 16 species, one of them is the American eel (Anguilla rostata).
Lifestyle.
European eel for a long time was a mystery to people. Despite the fact that adult eels are found in almost all European rivers, their reproduction was hidden behind a veil of secrecy a hundred years ago.
Eels are nocturnal, and during the day they burrow into the mud. They hibernate in the silt, as they do not eat anything during this period. They live in fresh water rivers, streams, sometimes they were found even in water pipes.
Acne and have many other features. For example, a very good sense of smell (a dog cannot even be compared with them), in some cases, an eel can sense the presence of one molecule of an odorous substance in river water. It is believed that this helps him navigate during migration (that is, literally find his homeland by smell). But the exact mechanism of orientation is unknown. It is also unknown why long-distance migrations are needed for spawning, why eels always return from the sea to the rivers where their parents lived.
Reproduction.
Although eels spend most of their lives in rivers, they breed in the sea. The larva, which is called leptocephalus, was previously considered a separate species, so it does not look like an adult. From the sea, the larvae return to the rivers.
Even the reproduction of eels was a mystery. Even Aristotle was surprised that he had never seen eel caviar. He even suggested that these fish are born from silt. But the fact is that an adult eel lives in European rivers, which swims to the Sargasso Sea for breeding. Even sex determination in eels is not a simple matter. In most fish, sex is determined at the time of fertilization, so females and males are born in equal numbers. And for some reason, female eels have more. At the same time, the sex ratio somehow depends on external conditions. Small eels feed on invertebrates, mollusks, insect larvae, but large eels feed on small fish.

Eel surveillance.
In February, small transparent larvae enter the lower reaches of the rivers. At the end of April, having already become "glass", eels set off on a journey against the current to the river sources. Young individuals with a yellow belly are found in rivers. Eels settle along channels, lakes, ponds and other bodies of water. Favorite habitats of these fish are thickets of underwater plants in the mouths of large rivers.Eels prefer rivers with a muddy bottom: they rest, buried in the ground, from which only their heads are visible.The last stage of metamorphosis begins in late summer, when young with yellow casings turn into adults.In September - October, adult eels go back to the sea (fish, spawning go from fresh water to the sea, called catadromny). At this time, the fish travel considerable distances to get to the sea as soon as possible. For travel, eels choose mainly dark, moonless nights.


Did you know….
Young eels with yellow casings look very different from adults. When these fish were attributed to two different species.
Aristotle believed that eels appeared on their own from river silt. This is due to the fact that people in ancient times did not find eggs and fry of eels in European reservoirs. There were amazing stories associated with the reproduction of acne. According to one theory, acne arises from horse hair, which swells in water and turns into young eels.
She has very few eels in Ukraine. Only a few cases of catching them in large rivers are known. But attempts are being made to artificially grow these fish in fish farms, because eel meat is very tasty.


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Superclass: Pisces = Fish

Class: Osteichthyes = Bone fish

Family: Congridae Kaup = Conger eels

SEA EEL (Conger conger) or conger, which from the North Atlantic enters the Mediterranean, Black and Baltic Seas. The most extreme north point its settlements are the waters off the coast of Norway. The sea eel is larger than the river eel, it reaches 65 kg in weight and over 3 m in length. Its leptocephali are very similar to the larvae of the river eel, but reach 16 cm in length; they have been described as Leptocephalus morrisi.

Apparently, like the river eel, it spawns once in a lifetime and, having spawned from 3 to 8 million eggs, dies. The places and dates of its spawning have not been precisely established. It differs from the river eel in its longer dorsal fin and total absence scales. The color of the conger eel is brown, turning on the belly into a dirty white color. The dorsal and anal fins are light, bordered by a dark stripe. A light lateral line protrudes distinctly on the sides.

The sea eel is a voracious predator that feeds mainly on small and medium size fish. Its powerful teeth easily crush mollusk shells. Repeatedly observed how the sea eel pulled out of the nets entangled in them fish. His favorite habitats are rocky shores, where he usually watches for prey, hiding somewhere in an underwater grotto or rock crevice. On the sandy bottom, he pulls out a mink for himself, just as the river eel sometimes does. Wherever the sea eel is found in enough, it is hunted for hook tackle - tiers and fishing rods baited by fish. Its meat is not as fat and tasty as that of river eel, and in Europe it is valued much lower. In contrast, conger eels living off the coast North America, are considered one of the most valuable fish.

sea ​​eel

An adult conger eel can reach quite large sizes, but, despite his size, he is very cautious and even shy. And at the first signs of danger, the eel instantly breaks off from the place where it was disturbed and hides in a safe shelter. At the same time, this fish is very curious, and fishermen take advantage of this at night, when it swims out of its daytime shelter in search of food. And if you manage to catch him, then be prepared to fight a worthy opponent. Even if hooked, the conger eel can sink to the bottom and hide in hiding, breaking off your tackle, as it is very strong...

The color of the body of the conger eel depends on the depth of its habitat. Most individuals have a dark body background, with a smoky gray back and a paler, silvery-yellow belly. Deep-sea fish have a sharp and hard dorsal fin. But the teeth of an eel are difficult to see, since they are located on the inside of the powerful jaws of the fish. The sea eel moves mainly at medium depth. It hunts most often at the bottom. The victims of the eel are small fish. If you want to catch a large eel, then go fishing on a boat in the area of ​​underwater reefs. Interestingly, sea eels breed once in a lifetime. This happens near the Madeira Islands, in the deepest places. A spawning eel lays up to 15 million eggs. The eggs are carried to the continental shelf by the slow North Atlantic current.

Industrial catching of large eels is difficult and inefficient. This is due to the fact that eels live deep at the bottom, hiding among underwater rubbish. Therefore, large fish, whose weight exceeds 45 kg, live in relative calm. acne smaller sizes can be caught even from the shore. It is better to do this at night, as at night these predators approach the shore in search of food. For fishing, choose rocky places or rocky ravines.

Sea eel is well caught in the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea at any time of the year, although it is best from July to October. In nature, its natural diet consists of small fish such as cod or sea bream, as well as different kinds lobsters, squids and small octopuses. The best places underwater ruins and littered areas are used to catch eels seabed. Freshly caught mackerel fry, a delicacy for eels, is ideal as bait for catching eels.

The numerous family of conger eels is represented by more than 180 species that are found exclusively in sea and ocean waters. Slightly saline and fresh waters are unsuitable for their habitation. Differences between representatives of all species are very minor and relate mostly to the habitat of eels.

The conger (sea eel) is significantly larger and heavier than the river eel. Females can be up to 2.40 m long, less often up to 3 m, and weigh over 100 kg, males reach a maximum length of 1.30 m, their the average size far less. The body diameter is more than 20 cm. The head and mouth are also much larger.

The body is long, serpentine, devoid of scales. The head is somewhat flattened. A large mouth with thick lips is located at the end of the snout. Both jaws have two rows of teeth. Outer rows large, close-fitting, incisor-shaped teeth form cutting edges. In the inner rows, the teeth are small, conical, pointed. There are large conical teeth on the palate and vomer. A long dorsal fin with 275-300 soft rays begins behind the pectoral fins. The dorsal and anal fins merge with the caudal fin. The pectoral fins are pointed. The lateral line runs along the entire body. Vertebrae 153-164.

The body color is dark gray or brown, the belly is light brown or golden. The dorsal and anal fins are light brown with a black border. Lateral line pores white.

Habitat

The distribution range of conger eels is quite wide and includes warm waters Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans, as well as adjacent seas. Some types of conger eels tolerate colder waters better and can be found in the Mediterranean and North Atlantic. In the North, Baltic and Black Seas, sea eel swims quite rarely. These fish are inhabitants of both the coastal zone and high seas without going deeper than 500 m.

This predatory fish appeared more than 100 million years ago in the vastness of the ocean near Indonesia. Initially, the eel was exclusively sea ​​fish. But over time, the eel began to spread throughout the world and began to live in rivers and lakes. According to their specificity, rivers are considered an intermediate habitat. River eels, like sea eels, are mainly found in rivers that flow into the following seas:

  • White.
  • Barents.
  • Baltic.
  • Azov.
  • Mediterranean.
  • Black.

In addition to the listed seas, eels are located in many lakes and ponds. Largest number individuals live in the Baltic Sea.

Lifestyle

Eels are nocturnal and prefer to sleep in a secluded place during the day. By nature, they are voracious predators with powerful teeth. The basis of the diet is small fish, crustaceans and mollusks. They will not miss the catch entangled in fishing nets. Not having good eyesight, eel fish prefer to lie in wait for prey in ambush, because thanks to their excellent sense of smell, they can feel it from afar. There are types of eels that disguise themselves as bottom vegetation. A vertical hole in the ground with the help of a strong tail and leaning halfway out of it, conger eels are waiting for prey. In case of danger, they immediately hide in the hole completely.

After reaching sexual maturity (5 to 15 years), conger eels are ready to breed. In size, females are much larger than males. For spawning, these fish go to long journey, ending in summer in the eastern part of the Atlantic or in the Mediterranean. Necessary condition is a depth of at least 3000 m. Eel spawning is the first and only in their life. After the female marks 3 to 8 million tiny eggs, the parents die. The larvae hatched from the eggs (leptocephals) are carried by currents over great distances.

Economic importance

Valuable commercial fish. World catches in 1996-2012 varied from 13.2 to 19.5 thousand tons. Fishing is carried out with bottom trawls and longlines.

Available fresh and frozen. The meat is tasty, suitable for smoking. Used for making preserves. Like many eels, the blood of the conger contains toxic substances, which are destroyed when heated, under the action of acids and alkalis. Poisonous properties are manifested only when the blood serum of these fish is injected. In connection with this feature, the conger is considered a passively poisonous fish.

Record catches

The IGFA registered conger eel record is 60kg 440g and was set by Vic Evans, a Brixham (UK) skipper, in June 1995.

Over the past decades, professional fishermen have periodically caught large congers. The largest, weighing almost 160 kg, was caught off the Vestmannaeyjar Islands (near Iceland). With a maximum mass of about 150 kg, conger eels reach a length of 3 m. Their powerful jaws are studded with small teeth that can cause serious wounds.

Places and times of fishing

Sea eels are hooked near their hiding places. They prefer areas with sandy bottoms and large rocks. These are promising places for fishing, because after hooking the fish cannot hide in the crevices of the rocks. Conger hunts mainly at night in shallow water, “combing” the water area of ​​ports along breakwaters and rocky shores. Since June, these predators have been regularly caught off the coast of England. But best time for their capture, the beginning is mid-September. With the first autumn storms, the fishing season ends.

This is interesting! In the UK, a distinction is made between record fish caught from the shore and from a boat. Maximum weight sea ​​eels caught from the shore is from 30 to 35 kg. But most often fish from the shore are caught from 3 to 15 kg.

Where do the largest eels live?

The largest specimens of the conger are annually caught over sunken ships in the English Channel. Fish up to 35 kg are harvested from reefs in the western part of the English Channel. Reef eels are not always smaller than their brethren caught over shipwrecks. However, underwater reefs, due to their large extent, cannot be fished as effectively as the area of ​​a sunken ship, where fish are concentrated.

Some sunken ships in less accessible areas of the sea have become a haven for numerous small congers weighing from 7.5 to 20 kg. On some days a catch of 20 or 30 eels per angler is considered normal. Above the wrecks, where intensive fishing is carried out, there are not so many eels, but they are larger. If trophy eel hunters fish near heavily fished wrecks, they will be content with only one or two fish per angler. But on the other hand, these will be copies of more than 25 kg.

This is interesting! Vic Evans' record conger, like all the largest conger eels of the past 30 years, was caught from a wreck that lies no more than 10 miles from the coast.

Features in cooking

Fish is especially popular in Japan. In this country, they believe that the meat of these creatures perfectly tones and improves performance. Useful fish oil eel prevents heart disease. The pulp contains many proteins, fatty polyunsaturated and saturated acids, which help rejuvenate cells and get rid of nervous diseases.

Sea eel is valued in diet food. Fish, beneficial features meat which is hard to overestimate, very nutritious. It contains potassium and iodine. And, as you know, these minerals help strengthen the heart muscle and protect our thyroid gland. Sea eel meat has a low calorie content, which is very important for dietary nutrition.

It contains a wide range of valuable vitamins (A, B, E, D) and protein. Regular use This delicacy in any variation strengthens the immune system, has a beneficial effect on the entire body as a whole. Dishes from it are shown for gout, rheumatism, malaise, depression, CNS disease, atherosclerosis. Looking at the Japanese, periodically eating fish and different good health And high performance, you can make sure healing properties meat of this predator.