Eel

The Journey of a European Eel: From Birth to Dinner Plate

When we think of seafood, the eel isn’t always the first thing that comes to mind. Yet, it is one of the most highly valued fatty fish in the world, and its journey from birth to the plate often goes unnoticed. In this blog post, we will take an in-depth look at the journey of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) from its birth in the Eastern Atlantic, to its eventual transformation onto a dinner plate.

The life of a European eel begins thousands of kilometers away from where it eventually resides. The larvae, known as leptocephali, are born off the east coast of North America and make the long migration across the Atlantic Ocean – a 6500-kilometer ride – towards Europe. This process is called elversing, and is the start of the eel’s journey.

During elversing, the larvae are swept around the north Atlantic by the Gulf Stream and reach continental Europe about six to twelve months later. At this stage, the larvae have grown and developed a little, but still look very eel-like in shape. To gain energy for their onward migration, the larvae feed on planktonic and woody debris, harvesting essential nutrients along their journey.

As they reach the European coasts, the leptocephali begin their metamorphosis by passing through a freshwater phase, where they gain body features such as a head and fins and change their name to glass eels. These glass eels, now visible to the naked eye with their semi-transparent exterior, begin to make their way up into the rivers and streams of Europe. During the upstream migration, glass eels encounter several physical barriers such as waterfalls, weirs and other obstructions that can pose a challenge to the young eel.

The glass eel continues its way upstream until it reaches its final destination: the freshwater habitats where mature eels can survive, such as shallow lakes, rivers and streams. Once arrived, the glass eel is now known as the yellow eel, due to its greenish-yellowish colour. Here, the eels can live for up to a decade before a biological trigger signals them to begin their spawning migration. The European eel is now referred to as a silver eel.

For the silver eels, this migration back to the Sargasso Sea marks the start of the end of their life cycle. Although their destination remains the same, the return trip takes much longer than the original migration of the glass eels. The silver eels face numerous hazards on their journey, such as predation, displacement through hydropower dams, deforestation or pollution. But those who successfully manage to reach the Sargasso Sea in the western central Atlantic, reach the end of their ultimately long journey, and begin their mating and spawning activities.

But the journey of the European eel is far from being over. For the survivors, their eggs are now ready to hatch and a new life-cycle  can commence. The newly hatched larvae will, as before, begin their long journey as leptocephali, crossing the Atlantic Ocean and ending their journey in the rivers and streams of Europe.

For those who did not make it, the European eel has become an important part of the culinary industry. European eels are especially appreciated for their fatty bellies, which gives the meat a unique taste and texture.

The first step of the transformation from live eel to dinner plate is catching the eel. Eels are mainly caught in rivers, but some can also be caught in the estuary or even in the sea. It is during this step that the eels are sorted by size and sex. After this, the next step is eel purging, which is done to reduce the strong taste and make the meat more appealing.

At this stage, the eels are usually gutted and cleaned, and then they undergo a preservation process if they are to be stored for long periods of time. Smoking is the most commonly used method to preserve eels, as it adds flavor while also helping to keep the eel moist and tender. Trout-smoked or splashed eel (an eel with a smoked or speckled skin) are some of the most popular products of European eel.

The eels are then packaged for sale, whether fresh or frozen. In some countries, fresh eel is still a popular purchase, especially in coastal areas where the eels have been freshly caught.

The European eel is now prepared for consumption in various ways. The most common is to scale, fillet and skin the eel, transforming it into easy-to-eat pieces of fish. Eel can also be smoked, grilled or steamed, or cooked in sauces or stews. Its fattiness makes it particularly appealing to gourmets, adding a lovely juicy and flavorful touch to any meal. Smoked eel, for instance, is often used to give meals an extra luxurious touch.

This remarkable journey of a European eel from birth to dinner plate serves to remind us of the importance of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture practices. It also highlights the resilience of these animals to overcome the various obstacles and dangers in their path, and the delicate relationship that eels have with their environment. As the European eel population continues to suffer from overexploitation and habitat loss, we must remember sustainable fishing practices and product traceability in order to guarantee that these valuable species will continue to be part of our dinner plates for generations to come.