On the distribution of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) and its fisheries

2003 ◽  
Vol 60 (7) ◽  
pp. 787-799 ◽  
Author(s):  
Willem Dekker
Keyword(s):  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Anguilla Anguilla ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Qualitative Description ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
European Eel ◽  
Silver Eel ◽  
Southern Limit ◽  
Glass Eel ◽  
The North

For the distribution of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla), only Schmidt (1909) has conducted substantial investigations, yielding a qualitative description (Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts of Europe and Northern Africa). In this article, a meta-analysis of reported fishing yields is presented, showing a major concentration of glass eel yield in the Bay of Biscay (and possibly farther south) and of yellow and (or) silver eel yield in the western Mediterranean. Fisheries target the glass eel stage at highest stock density and shift to the silver eel stage at low density. Because there is no suitable habitat in the Sahara, the southern limit is, contrary to Schmidt's belief, primarily determined by continental conditions. From the centre of the distribution to the north, a long and slow decline in density occurs. The mismatch between northern temperatures and the species' preference, in combination with the very low abundance, indicates that the European eel is best seen as a warm-water species, like most other eel species (Anguilla spp.), showing a considerable northern diaspora.

Challenges to quantifying glass eel abundance from large and dynamic estuaries

2017 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
pp. 727-737 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Walmsley ◽  
Julie Bremner ◽  
Alan Walker ◽  
Jon Barry ◽  
David Maxwell
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Anguilla Anguilla ◽  
Commercial Fishing ◽  
European Eel ◽  
Estuarine System ◽  
Glass Eel ◽  
The North ◽  
Adequate Sampling ◽  
South Shore ◽  
Glass Eels

Abstract European eel Anguilla anguilla recruitment into the rivers of the northeastern Atlantic has declined substantially since the 1980s. Monitoring of recruiting juveniles, or glass eels, is usually undertaken in small estuaries and rivers. Sampling of large-scale estuaries is rare, due to the size of the sampling area and the resources needed to provide adequate sampling levels. Here we describe surveys for glass eels in the UK’s largest estuarine system, the Severn Estuary/Bristol Channel. We sampled across a 20 km-wide stretch of the estuary in 2012 and 2013, using a small-meshed net deployed from a commercial fishing trawler, and the surveys yielded over 2500 glass eels. Eels were more abundant in the surface layer (0–1.4 m depth) than at depth (down to 8.4 m depth), were more abundant close to the south shore than along the north shore or middle of the estuary, and were more abundant in lower salinity water. Numbers were higher in the second year than in the first and eels were more abundant in February than April. The difficulties and logistics of sampling in such a large estuary are discussed, along with the level of resources required to provide robust estimates of glass eel abundance.

scholarly journals Modelling the recruitment of European eel (Anguilla anguilla) throughout its European range

2017 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
pp. 541-552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginie Bornarel ◽  
Patrick Lambert ◽  
Cédric Briand ◽  
Carlos Antunes ◽  
Claude Belpaire ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stock Assessment ◽  
Anguilla Anguilla ◽  
Distribution Area ◽  
European Eel ◽  
Estimation Model ◽  
Glass Eel ◽  
The North ◽  
The Status ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
Sea Area

Abstract European eel (Anguilla anguilla) recruitment has been declining at least since the early 1980s at the scale of its distribution area. Since the population is panmictic, its stock assessment should be carried out on a range-wide basis. However, assessing the overall stock during the continental phase remains difficult given its widespread distribution among heterogeneous and separate river catchments. Hence, it is currently considered by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) more feasible to use glass eel recruitment data to assess the status of the overall population. In this study, we used Glass Eel Recruitment Estimation Model (GEREM) to estimate annual recruitment (i) at the river catchment level, a scale for which data are available, (ii) at an intermediate scale (6 European regions), and (iii) at a larger scale (Europe). This study provides an estimate of the glass eel recruitment trend through a single index, which gathers all recruitment time-series available at the European scale. Results confirmed an overall recruitment decline to dramatically low levels in 2009 (3.5% of the 1960–1979 recruitment average) and highlighted a more pronounced decline in the North Sea area compared to elsewhere in Europe.

scholarly journals An Evaluation of Restocking Practice and Demographic Stock Assessment Methods for Cryptic Juvenile European Eel in Upland Rivers

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 1124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Billy Nzau Matondo ◽  
Jean-Philippe Benitez ◽  
Arnaud Dierckx ◽  
Xavier Rollin ◽  
Michaël Ovidio
Keyword(s):  
Stock Assessment ◽  
Release Site ◽  
Anguilla Anguilla ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Assessment Methods ◽  
European Eel ◽  
Mark Recapture ◽  
Glass Eel ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Sea

Restocking of the critically endangered European eel Anguilla anguilla is widespread, but it is rarely scientifically evaluated. Methods used to assess its associated performance by estimating the survival rate and implement restocking for maximum recruitment in rivers have not yet been investigated. Based on two glass eel restocking events using a single release site/point and multiple sites per river performed in upland rivers (>340 km from the North Sea), the recruitment success of stocked eels was scientifically evaluated during a 3-year study using multiple capture-mark-recapture methods and mobile telemetry. We compared the observed data with the data estimated from the Telemetry, De Lury and Jolly-Seber stock assessment methods. For recruitment data, Telemetry was very close to Jolly-Seber, an appropriate stock assessment method for open populations. Using the best model of Jolly-Seber, survival probability was higher (>95%) in both restocking practices, but recruitment yields were higher and densities of stocked eels were lower in multiple sites compared to a single site. Our results suggest that Telemetry can help to rapidly assess cryptic juvenile eel stocks with good accuracy under a limited number of capture-mark-recapture sessions. Artificial dispersal of glass eels on several productive habitats/sites per river appears to be the better-suited practice for restocking.

scholarly journals Mapping silver eel migration routes in the North Sea

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pieterjan Verhelst ◽  
Jan Reubens ◽  
Johan Coeck ◽  
Tom Moens ◽  
Janek Simon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Anguilla Anguilla ◽  
European Eel ◽  
English Channel ◽  
Migration Routes ◽  
Silver Eel ◽  
The North ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
The North Sea

AbstractRecent developments in tracking technology resulted in the mapping of various marine spawning migration routes of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla). However, migration routes in the North Sea have rarely been studied, despite many large European rivers and hence potential eel growing habitat discharge into the North Sea. In this study, we present the most comprehensive map to date with migration routes by silver European eels in the North Sea and document for the first time successful eel migration through the English Channel. Migration tracks were reconstructed for 42 eels tagged in Belgium and 12 in Germany. Additionally, some eels moved up north to exit the North Sea over the British Isles, confirming the existence of two different routes, even for eels exiting from a single river catchment. Furthermore, we observed a wide range in migration speeds (6.8–45.2 km day−1). We hypothesize that these are likely attributed to water currents, with eels migrating through the English Channel being significantly faster than eels migrating northward.

Sex-related growth of European eel, Anguilla anguilla, with focus on median silver eel age

1997 ◽  
Vol 54 (12) ◽  
pp. 2775-2781 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Holmgren ◽  
H Wickström ◽  
P Clevestam
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Anguilla Anguilla ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
European Eel ◽  
Silver Eel ◽  
Glass Eel ◽  
Growing Seasons ◽  
Length Increase ◽  
Silver Eels

Silver eels, Anguilla anguilla, migrating downstream were monitored for 15 years since being stocked in 1980 as cultured fingerlings in a Swedish lake. Females were larger than males in each separate year, but mean growth rate was higher in males than in females. This discrepancy was due to different age distributions, with 64.5% of the males migrating after four or five growing seasons, while 86.3% of the females grew for 10-15 seasons before migration. Otolith length in the glass eel stage was independent of sex, and it was not correlated with year of migration. With focus on median year of migration, otolith lengths after one, two, and three growing seasons were significantly larger in males than in females. This was mainly due to a higher otolith length increase during the first growing season, i.e., before the eels were stocked in the lake. These results are inconsistent with the view that female eels generally grow faster than males.

scholarly journals Yield per recruit from stocking two different sizes of eel (Anguilla anguilla) in the brackish Roskilde Fjord

2015 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 158-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael I. Pedersen ◽  
Gorm H. Rasmussen
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
Anguilla Anguilla ◽  
Silver Eel ◽  
Glass Eel ◽  
Recovery Plan ◽  
Yellow Eel ◽  
Roskilde Fjord ◽  
Yield Per Recruit ◽  
The Eu

Abstract Stocking of young eel is widely practised, as a measure, to meet the management target of the EU eel recovery plan. The target of the recovery plan is to increase the escapement to 40% silver eel biomass, relative to pristine conditions. The scientific information to predict the outcome in silver eel biomass from stocking is limited and may depend on whether translocation of wild glass eel or yellow eel is used, or if the stocked eels used are yellow eel from aquaculture. We evaluated the yield from stocking two different sizes, 3 and 9 g eels from aquaculture. A professional fishery recaptured 12.7% of the 3 g and 9.4% of the 9 g eels, originally stocked. Growth rate and mortality rate were different for the two stocked sizes, favouring the small eels. Brutto yield per recruit (YPR) was 13 and 9.2 g and netto YPR was 9.8 and 0.31 g for 3 and 9 g eel, respectively. We conclude that there seems to be no advantage in using larger 9 g eels compared with small 3 g eels for stocking.

scholarly journals Mortality of silver eel (Anguilla anguilla) migrating downstream through a small hydroelectric plant on the Drawa River in northern Poland

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 69-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piotr Dębowski ◽  
Rafał Bernaś ◽  
Michał Skóra ◽  
Jacek Morzuch
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Telemetry ◽  
Hydroelectric Plant ◽  
Anguilla Anguilla ◽  
European Eel ◽  
Upstream Migration ◽  
Silver Eel ◽  
Passive Integrated Transponder ◽  
Northern Poland ◽  
Hydroelectric Plants ◽  
Pass Through

Abstract The European eel, Anguilla anguilla L., is an endangered species. Barriers to its downstream spawning migration are one of the greatest threats this species faces. There are hundreds of hydroelectric plants (HEP) on rivers in Poland (> 600), and thousands throughout Europe. Eel that pass through HEP turbines as they migrate downstream suffer high mortality, but this depends mainly on local and technical conditions. Silver eel mortality was estimated and the possibility of the fish bypassing the turbines was studied between November 2013 and June 2014 at a typical HEP in northern Poland. Two telemetry methods were used with 49 eel: passive integrated transponder (PIT) system and acoustic telemetry. Fifty five percent of eel migrated downstream in fall 2013, soon after their release, and 45% migrated the next spring. The eel did not use the fish passes designed for upstream migration; thus, they were forced to go through the turbines, which resulted in 55% mortality. HEPs cause interruptions and delays in eel spawning migrations and are responsible for high eel mortality. This can make implementing an eel restitution plan difficult or even impossible in river systems with many barriers.

Evidence for a population collapse of European eel (Anguilla anguilla) in the Bristol Channel

2011 ◽  
Vol 92 (4) ◽  
pp. 843-851 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter A. Henderson ◽  
Shaun J. Plenty ◽  
Lyn C. Newton ◽  
David J. Bird
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Variability ◽  
Cooling Water ◽  
Anguilla Anguilla ◽  
Fish Population ◽  
European Eel ◽  
Power Station ◽  
Population Number ◽  
Population Collapse ◽  
Recruitment Failure ◽  
The North

A 30-year study of the estuarine population of yellow eel, Anguilla anguilla, abundance in Bridgwater Bay, Somerset, UK, shows that the population number has collapsed. Since 1980, the decline has averaged 15% per year. The abundance of eel in 2009 is estimated at only 1% of that in 1980. This is one of the greatest systematically quantified crashes of a fish population ever reported. Collections of eels impinged on cooling water filter screens were made monthly at Hinkley Point power station between 1980 and 2010 and from Oldbury power station between 1996 and 1998. Eels are always present in the Severn Estuary, although there are large seasonal variations in abundance. At Oldbury, in the upper estuary, eels are least abundant in January. In contrast, in the outer estuary in Bridgwater Bay, eels are most abundant between November and March. The size-distribution of yellow eels ranged from <200 to >700 mm indicating an age-range since the glass eel stage of 2 to >25 years. The mean size-range has not changed since the 1980s indicating that the population collapse is not caused by a sudden recruitment failure. It is suggested that there has been a continual long-term failure of recruitment to compensate for losses. The reason for this is unidentified, but is unlikely to be changes in the North Atlantic Oscillation or other natural environmental variability. A major effort to improve eel survival to adulthood is required if this species is not to gently fade to extinction. This would likely involve a cessation of elver fishing, a reduction in the volume of estuarine water extracted for power station cooling and other purposes during which eels are entrained and killed, and the removal of obstructions which increase mortality during migration.

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