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A new study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution lifts the veil on what happens when octopuses and fish hunt together. As it turns out, this cross-species relationship is more complex than anyone expected. Animals of the same species often cooperate—work together to reach some kind of goal. But it's relatively rare to find cooperation between individuals from different species. A classic example you'll be familiar with is the close relationship between dogs and humans, whether in the context of herding sheep or hunting. In these situations, the dog and the human work together to achieve a goal. That's mammals....

Israeli food-tech startup collaborates with Japanese restaurant to craft prized dishes with eel meat made from animal cells.Dishes made from the meat of eels are popular in many Asian countries and beyond. But overfishing of eels has turned this aquatic delicacy into an endangered species, leaving suppliers struggling to keep up with the surging demand. Forsea Foods of Rehovot is now saving wild eel populations from near extinction by unveiling its first prototype of cell-cultivated freshwater eel that has the same texture and flavor as the traditional Japanese unagi eel (Anguilla japonica). Forsea was founded in 2021 with a mission...

Wildlife trafficking is an ongoing problem in Spain and throughout Europe. In a recent crackdown, authorities in Guadalajara have made a significant arrest and seized 170 kilos of live elvers. On a routine inspection, Guardia Civil officers apprehended an individual on Tuesday, December 12, near Cifuentes, Guadalajara. During a Citizen Security patrol, officers identified a rental van which was parked at a service station. Upon questioning the driver of the vehicle appeared nervous. The officer’s suspicions were well-founded as the van, which seemingly carried clothing, hid a more sinister cargo. Elver Smuggling Exposed In what appeared to be an ordinary...

Squanto giving the pilgrims eels made sense given the time during which he discovered the pilgrims. Eels do not like cold water. During the winter, they gather in large numbers to ball up and twist themselves together in the mud. This makes them easy to catch with the forked spears that were typically used by the Native Americans. Native Americans would also harvest eels in large numbers by building river weirs in the autumn. River weirs arer small-scale dams that raise the water levels in a small area to allow for the build-up of (in this case) the eel population....

A law currently in Congress could expand regulations to rein in illicit seafood imports, which account for an estimated 10 percent of all U.S. sales—and bring with them significant human rights, environmental, and health problems.In the end, the eels were worth an estimated $160 million. Over four years, they trickled through U.S. seaports in 138 shipping containers that eight people were later accused of importing illegally. In March, a grand jury indicted the CEO of American Eel Depot, a New Jersey company, along with three members of the staff and four business affiliates in association with the alleged crimes. U.S....

Witnesses captured a man on video throwing eels into Prospect Park Lake in Brooklyn. The man got away, but wildlife experts are hoping many take away an important message from the illegal activity. “Yo, you’re not supposed to be dumping eels here, dude,” Dominick Pabon said as he approached the man on Sunday night. He said alerted the man that his actions were against the law. “That’s not legal,” Pabon says on a video he shot on his cellphone. “I save life,” the man responds. “No, you’re not. You’re killing other life in here,” Pabon responds. Pabon fishes often, as...

A relaxed-looking juvenile Hawaiian monk seal lounges near a sandy white beach on some green foliage. Its eyes are half-closed and it has a serene expression on its face. But the seal’s calm demeanor is surprising. Why? Well, there’s a long, black-and-white eel dangling from its right nostril. “It’s just so shocking,” Claire Simeone, a veterinarian and monk seal expert based in Hawaii, told The Washington Post on Thursday. “It’s an animal that has another animal stuck up its nose.” Simeone wasn’t the only person stunned by the photo of the seal and its unusual facial ornament that was shared...

The Obama policy legacy continues to be systematically repealed by President Trump and congress, but sadly, the Obama cultural legacy will live on for many years thanks to the hundreds of utterly corrupt individuals he appointed to the federal judiciary. Last night we saw the latest example of what will become a long-term lawless, corrupting influence in our daily lives, as Hawaii District Court Judge Derrick Watson issued his latest extra-constitutional ruling related to the President’s travel ban. No doubt many of you have been laboring under the illusion that the U.S. Supreme Court – which has already ruled on...

One of the leopard moray eels at the Blue Planet Aquarium Intrepid divers have taken to the water to hand-feed a shoal of moray eels at Blue Planet Aquarium, Cheshire Oaks. The aquarium is looking after a group of eight leopard moray eels, each measuring close to a metre in length. At the moment, the eels are in a special holding tank which adjoins the giant Caribbean Reef display and divers are training the tropical eels to feed from their hands. Blue Planet Aquarium’s dive officer Matt Martin said: “We need the morays to get used to the experience of...

PALABUHANRATU, INDONESIA – Japan is steeped in century-old rituals where people traditionally eat grilled freshwater eel on “doyo no ushi no hi,” the day customarily dedicated to eating eel. Eel day fell on July 22 this year, but concern over dwindling stocks in Japan is growing, with other countries in the region reporting a similar trend. Continued demand for juvenile eel has led to an increase in the smuggling of glass eel from Indonesia to Japan and China, prompting Jakarta to toughen regulations. In Japan, eel is commonly eaten in the summer but is also the main ingredient in several...

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) -- Maine's Marine Patrol has cited a New Hampshire man for having tens of thousands of dollars' worth of baby eels without a license in what's being called the biggest case of illegal eel possession in the history of the fishery. Officials said Monday that 41-year-old Phillip Parker, of Candia, N.H., was summonsed last Wednesday in Newport with 41 pounds of eels, known as elvers. Fishermen have been getting about $2,000 per pound for their catch this season.

Lampreys from Great Lakes destined for queen's pie DETROIT — A few unwanted, invasive sea lampreys from the Great Lakes have been shipped to England for use in a traditional pie for Queen Elizabeth II. The Detroit Free Press reports (http://on.freep.com/IdmZkP) the City of Gloucester, which has given the pie as a gift to the monarch since the Middle Ages, requested the eel-like creatures from the Great Lakes Fishery Commission because they're a protected species in England. The pie is for June's Diamond Jubilee, the 60th anniversary of the queen's ascent to the throne. Commission spokesman Marc Gaden shipped 2...

Secrets of the stones March 13 2003 For nearly 8000 years, the Gunditjmara people of western Victoria farmed eels. They modified more than 100 square kilometres of the landscape, constructing artificial ponds across the grassy wetlands and digging channels to interconnect them. They exported their produce and became an important part of the local economy. And then white settlers arrived and all they left of the Gunditjmara's thriving industry were several hundred piles of stones that had formed the foundations to the people's huts. Since the 1970s, archaeologists have suspected that the stone remains in the Lake Condah region were...

PATERSON - A New York sect of Amitabha Buddhists bought hundreds of eels, frogs and turtles in Chinatown to set them free in the Passaic River, hoping they would not only survive but also realize their karmic potential. Saving the animals, though, did not do anything for the karma of the state Department of Environmental Protection. DEP pfficials say the Buddhists did not have a permit and may be subject to fines up to $1,000. Releasing critters into the wild takes a permit - and because of fears of harm being done by nonnative species, New Jersey is reluctant to...

MILLINGTON, Md. - American eels are crafty fish, able to slither up rocks and around branches in just a tiny bit of water. But it turns out they're not the strongest swimmers — and dams throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed may be blocking their natural migration patterns and contributing to a sharp population decline. Maryland biologists are hoping to boost the fortunes of the American eel, which is found across the Atlantic coast but is most abundant in the Chesapeake and its tributaries. Even in the Chesapeake, though, eels aren't doing so great. Scientists believe they're being stymied in part...

Purported Animal Activist Forces English Fishing Village to End Annual Dead Eel Tossing Contest By KATIE FRETLAND LONDON Jul 30, 2006 (AP)— For more than 30 years, crowds have flocked to the small English fishing village of Lyme Regis to watch an annual tradition two teams of fishermen standing on wooden platforms as human bowling pins, hurling a dead giant eel at each other. But the ritual was abruptly abandoned after an animal rights activist threatened to draw negative publicity to the latest tournament, organizers said Saturday. The practice, known as conger cuddling, is the annual highlight in the small...

Papers have been flapping with new headlines about the latest in a long line of alleged dinosaur ancestors of birds. This one is claimed to be a sensational dinosaur with feathers on its hind legs, thus four ‘wings’.1 This was named Microraptor gui—the name is derived from words meaning ‘little plunderer of Gu’ after the paleontologist Gu Zhiwei. Like so many of the alleged feathered dinosaurs, it comes from Liaoning province of northeastern China. It was about 3 feet (1 meter) long from its head to the tip of its long tail, but its body was only about the size...

Researchers Try to Unravel Mystery of Disappearing Eels Mar 20, 2004 Virginia Smith/ The Associated Press ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (AP) - At 3:30 a.m., Kim Tugend sweeps a dip net across the face of the Guana River dam. From the concrete ledge in the dam house, it is a steep drop to the water, and Tugend's net is long and unwieldy. Her only light comes from her tiny headlamp. From the ledge, in the dark, she can see tiny jellyfish flashing an otherworldly purple light, and the churning waters are deafening. When she pulls her net up and empties it...