After the Codyssey, the Eeliad: an epic tale of survival and the sea

The Times ^ | 4/25/2009 | Frank Pope, Ocean Correspondent

[bruinbirdman]

Tracking device reveals for the first time how eels migrate 4,500 miles from European waters to the mid-Atlantic

Every November, when the Moon is at its darkest, there’s a stirring on riverbeds, lake bottoms and marshlands around Europe. Countless silver serpents respond to an ancient urge and turn towards faster-moving water, beginning a perilous, 4,500-mile journey down deep ocean trenches and across undersea mountain ranges.

Anguilla anguilla elvers resting

Until now nothing has been known about their incredible journey, only that the smallest larvae of the European eel are found in the mid-Atlantic Sargasso Sea. How the spawning adults get there and how long it takes them is one of the animal kingdom’s most enduring mysteries: bar a single specimen recovered from the belly of a sperm whale, not a single silver eel has ever been recovered from the open ocean.

With the help of a tiny floating tag, the first details of their epic journey are being revealed. The device was implanted into the belly of an 87cm (34in) female European eel near Hoganasa on the west coast of Sweden last November and was discovered on a Scottish beach two weeks ago.

“We were astonished,” said Dr David Righton of the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, the leader of the project he has named the Eeliad on account of its epic proportions. (His previous project, involving cod, was called the Codyssey.) “The oceans are vast and there was a high risk that none would be found but we’ve had two turn up already. The first came back very soon after release, on the west coast of Ireland. That eel died and the tag came out. But the second tag has revealed some spectacular information.”

The mystery of where eels — Anguilla anguilla —

[Sherman Logan]

Always been fascinated by eels. Salmon in reverse. Thanks for posting.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Wet Dream - Kip Addotta
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6l1GvDWtccI

[bruinbirdman]

Are the Doldrums in the Sargasso Sea? Or is this why the eels are in the Doldrums?

yitbos

[JoeProBono]

[bruinbirdman]

Yum. Bean sprouts.

yitbos

[BIGLOOK]

An interesting article....

Thanks Bruinbirdman!

[Young Werther]

Ders Sumptin Fishee Goan On!

I grew up in Jersey and had a summer house at Tom's River on Barnegat Bay. Eels would migrate from Barnegate to the Sargasso Sea. They spawned in the bay, swam to the Sargasso to grow and mature and then returned to the Bay to lay their eggs. Eel fishing was fun and when caught you would fry them. Grams would put them in our spaghetti sauce instead of Italian sausage. The tasted like chichen!

[Sherman Logan]

The Doldrums gernerally refer to those tropical regions near the equator located between the bands of the trade winds. They were highly unpopular with sailors in the old sailing ship days because winds were often light, variable or non-existent. A ship could be becalmed until it drank up all its fresh water and everybody died. Happened regularly.

The Sargasso Sea is located in the Doldrums of the Atlantic, with the added challenge for sailors of being located in sort of an eddy of ocean currents.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks bruinbirdman and BIGLOOK for the pings.

Are the Doldrums in the Sargasso Sea?

Doldrums: Barbie's Bongos. [Sniglets]

Otto Muck, one of those WWII-era German scientists, wrote a book entitled "Atlantis Over All", translated into English by Fred Bradley and published as "The Secret of Atlantis"; in there (among other things) he cites the weird life cycle geography of the eels as evidence for the former existence of the now-drowned classical Atlantis of Plato (the only surviving ancient source for the tale in any case).

· join · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post new topic ·

[SunkenCiv]

· join list or digest · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post a topic ·
	Gods Graves Glyphs	Thanks bruinbirdman and BIGLOOK for the pings. I was amused that, in the HBO series "Rome", the street thugs are having a meal in some restaurant and one mentions the mysterious vanishing eel problem, which was known of course because they were part of the food supply. :') To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach
·Dogpile · Archaeologica · ArchaeoBlog · Archaeology · Biblical Archaeology Society · · Discover · Nat Geographic · Texas AM Anthro News · Yahoo Anthro & Archaeo · Google · · The Archaeology Channel · Excerpt, or Link only? · cgk's list of ping lists ·

[colorado tanker]

the street thugs are having a meal in some restaurant and one mentions the mysterious vanishing eel problem

IIRC, they blamed it on global warming and Consul Bushus.

[colorado tanker]

Very interesting. Thanks.