Eels: An Exploration, from New Zealand to the Sargasso, of the World's Most Mysterious Fish

by James Prosek

Overview

They are the only fish that spawn in the middle of the ocean but spend their adult lives in freshwater. They can overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles and even cross over land. They are revered as guardians and monster-seducers by New Zealand's Maori and have inspired origin myths throughout the Pacific Islands. Often viewed with disgust in the West, they are a multibillion-dollar business in the Asian food market. And they are often mistaken for snakes. They are eels—one of the world's most amazing and least understood fish. (Yes, fish.)

James Prosek offers a fascinating tour through the life history and cultural associations of the freshwater eel, exploring its biology in streams and epic migrations in the ocean, its myth and lore, its mystery and beauty. Prosek travels the globe to tell the story of the eel—from New York to New Zealand; from Europe to Japan and the small island of Pohnpei in Micronesia, where freshwater eels are worshipped by members of the eel clan. Along the way he introduces individuals whose lives are most connected with the eels' story—including fishermen, conservationists, and scientists seeking to uncover the eels' elusive home in the Sargasso Sea and their spawning places in other oceans of the world. Though freshwater eels have been here for hundreds of millions of years, populations are rapidly declining, due largely to dams, overfishing, pollution, and perhaps even global climate change.

Illustrated with original etchings by the author, Eels is a mesmerizing biography and history of this intriguing and mysterious creature. It is also a telling look at humanity, the will to persist, and the ever-changing relationship between man and the natural world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062008817
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	09/21/2010
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

James Prosek is a writer and artist. Dubbed “the Audubon of the fishing world” by the New York Times, his books include Trout, The Complete Angler, and Fly-Fishing the 41st. He lives in Easton, Connecticut.

Editorial Reviews

Ask your average North American: eels, those slimy snakelike creatures, are generally held in poor regard. For nature writer Prosek (Trout; Fly-Fishing the 41st), however, they are a compelling mystery, and in his riveting synthesis of cultural, geographical, and botanical sleuthing, he investigates their reputation at home and abroad. The author--for whom the eel was once merely bait for bass--delves into the closely held traditions of the Maori of New Zealand, where eels are revered; into the beliefs of the Micronesian island of Pohnpei, where eels are considered members of a tribal clan; into the heart of the largest seafood market in the world, in Japan, a nation that consumes more than 130,000 tons of eels each year; into the reclusive world of Eel Weir Hollow in the Catskills, where fisherman Ray traps and smokes as much as one ton of eels a season; and to the fabled Sargasso Sea, where eels are thought to start their trek to the world's lakes, rivers, and streams--though, even now, no one knows precisely where the world's population of eels spawns, an enduring scientific mystery awaiting a solution. (Nov..)

Publishers Weekly

Intrigued by the life cycle of the eel, the author explores the biology and the folklore associated with a fish that lives in both salt and freshwater. Adult eels spawn in the ocean; the larvae then migrate to the rivers, estuaries, lakes, and ponds where their parents matured. Where are the ocean spawning areas, and how do the juveniles navigate into the specific rivers? Eels are used as bait for fishing trout and as a food staple in various societies, where they are prized for their high-protein content, fine flavor, and the many ways they can be cooked and smoked. The author visited the Delaware River and the island of Pohnpei in Micronesia, as well as eel aquaculture farms in Japan. He describes fishing and farming techniques and devotes a large section to the spiritual myths centering on eels in Maori culture. VERDICT An engagingly written account for fans of Richard Schweid's Consider the Eel or Christopher Moriarty's Eels: A Natural and Unnatural History. Readers interested in anthropology and folklore, fishing, and natural history will also enjoy this volume, which is enhanced by the author's woodcuts.—Judith B. Barnett, Univ. of Rhode Island Lib., Kingston

Library Journal