Eel

Product Description

Although it might seem the most mundane of fish when pulled from the mud of creeks ponds rivers or the sea the eel's life cycle is one of the most remarkable on the planet. Freshwater eels are born according to current scientific theory in remote ocean depths & journey thousands of miles to fresh water where they spend their lives before returning to the ocean to mate & die. A favourite food for humans since antiquity feeding London's poor during the Middle Ages & saving the Mayflower pilgrims from starvation on North America's shore these days the Japanese alone account for an eel consumption worth over a billion pounds a year. Richard Schweid chronicles these creatures in all their aspects: their natural history to their market value; their occurence in art & literature; & their present threatened status. The eel is considered by many to be currently on the road to extinction & despite repeated attempts to farm them & the expenditure of huge amounts of time & money eels have steadfastly refused to reproduce successfully in captivity apparently requiring the vastness of the open ocean to begin their long drift toward maturity. Containing many little-known facts about this rather surprising fish this book will appeal to anyone who enjoys well-written natural history or who wants to learn more about an animal that deserves much more attention than it has received to date.