Feds Look at Eel Protection

American eels may need protection

The federal government is again considering listing the American eel on its endangered species list.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said it will begin an "extensive status review" to determine if the snakelike fish should receive protection under the Endangered Species Act.

Once among the most lucrative commercial fisheries in Virginia, eels have been in decline for decades in the Chesapeake Bay. Harvests exceeded 700,000 pounds in Virginia during the 1980s, but they dwindled to 134,000 pounds in the Potomac River last year.

Scientists blame freshwater dams, which prevent eels from reaching spawning grounds, loss of habitat, overfishing and other reasons for the decline.

I used to catch eels once in a while when bottom fishing.  I haven't done that in years.  We do occasionally see one washed up dead.

I don't know that I buy the dam argument.  Seems to me there were lots of eels only a few years ago, while there were still plenty of dams; new dams have not been popular around here for years, and many older ones are being removed.  I do know there was an active eel fishery in the Patuxent River until recently, to the point that it was hard to steer through all the eel pots. I also know the reason they stopped fishing was lack of eels, not lack of a market for eels.

The seafood industry contends there are plenty of eels; the drop in catch reflects a decline in the fishery's infrastructure, officials previously told the newspaper.

Fish and Wildlife officials considered protecting the eel, whose habitat runs from Greenland to Brazil, last decade. They decided in 2007 that eels, which are prized by sushi eaters and used as bait, didn't warrant such measures.

The seafood industry opposes any listing because it could affect other fisheries.

 They'll consider eel protection after they take the last one.