American Conger Eel 301 



anywhere from 5 to 20 years of age. When mature this 

 fish leaves the coastal streams and rivers and the inshore 

 waters and starts its long migration to off Bermuda. The 

 mature fish stops feeding and the color changes. The back 

 turns to black and the sides become silvery. The eyes of 

 the male double in size. 



The American Eel will eat almost any animal food, liv- 

 ing or dead. It is primarily a scavenger and feeds mostly 

 at night. During the day it mostly lies buried in the bottom, 

 often with its head protruding. 



Economic Importance: An excellent food fish, marketed 

 fresh, pickled, or smoked. There is a small commercial 

 fishery for this species which could be expanded if con- 

 sumer demand increased. A good sport fish on light tackle 

 frequently taken by anglers fishing from shore, wharves, 

 and piers. 



American Conger Eel 

 Conger oceanica (Mitchill) 



Color: Blue-gray to brown-gray above; sometimes black or 

 with a reddish tinge; dirty white below. 

 Distribution: Found from Cape Cod south possibly to 

 South America. 



Size: May reach a length of 8 f^et. 



General Information: This species occurs from close in- 

 shore in a few feet of water to depths of over 850 feet, 

 but it is most common in depths of from 250 to 450 feet. 

 Like the American eel, the American Conger Eel migrates 

 offshore to spawn, probably somewhere in the West Indies. 

 The adults die after spawning and the young pass through 

 a leptocephalus stage as do the young of the American 

 eel. However, the young American Conger Eel does not 



