300 American Eel 



range from three-fifths of an inch to one inch in diameter. 

 After they are laid and fertilized the male picks them up 

 and carries them around in his mouth until they hatch. 

 For some time after hatching the fry also are carried in the 

 mouth of the male fish. During this period the fish does not 

 eat. The Gaff-Topsail Catfish feeds mostly on crabs and 

 to a lesser extent on shrimp and fish. 

 Economic Importance: A few are marketed. This species 

 is frequently caught by anglers along the Florida coast. 



American Eel 

 Anguilla rostrata (LeSueur) 



Color: Brown to olive-brown above; sides tinged with yel- 

 low; belly dirty white. 



Distribution: Coastal streams and inshore waters from 

 western Greenland to Central America and rarely south 

 to Brazil. 



Size: It is said to grow to a length of over 4 feet. 

 General Information: Mature American Eels migrate to a 

 region southwest of Bermuda, between Bermuda and the 

 Bahamas, and there mate and die. The eggs hatch and 

 develop into a floating, broad, ribbon-like, transparent 

 animal, very unlike the adult, called a leptocephalus. Over 

 a period of slightly less than one year the leptocephalus is 

 carried by prevailing currents to the American Atlantic 

 coast. Here it changes to a body form like the adult. At 

 this time it is 2-3^/2 inches long, transparent and uncol- 

 ored except for a single row of black spots running the 

 length of the body. These "glass eels" enter the mouths 

 of coastal rivers and streams by the millions and attempt to 

 work their way upstream. There is some indication that 

 American Eels are slow-growing, possibly maturing at 



