Rare American eel sighting recorded near Hannibal

HANNIBAL, Mo. – Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) staff and members of the Illinois River Biological Station caught a 37-inch American eel in Pool 22 near Hannibal earlier this summer. This rare catch was made during an electrofishing survey aimed at studying blue suckers. The eel was caught, measured, and released back into the water.

“American eels, the only species of freshwater eel found in North America, are usually found in deep pools around cover such as logs and boulders,” says MDC Wildlife Biologist Assistant Ashley Johnson. “All eels found in inland waters, including those found in Missouri, are females.”

The American eel life cycle requires female eels to travel inland to freshwater locations before returning to the ocean to breed. With dams and other obstacles increasingly limiting their travel corridors, this has reduced the ability for the American eel population to use Missouri’s inland waters to aid in their life cycle.

Female American eels are usually 16-33 inches in length and males rarely exceed 18 inches. Learn more about the species at http://short.mdc.mo.gov/oxM.