Eel life cycle
Scroll ▼The life-cycle of the American eel involves an epic journey from the Atlantic Ocean deep into the headwaters of coastal rivers. For centuries this cycle played out along the banks of the Susquehanna River.
The beginning
Baby eels are spawned as larve in the warm ocean waters of the Sargasso Sea. Extremely small, they drive with the ocean currents and tide toward shore, taking up to a year to complete the first step of their journey.
Up river
By the time they reach the coast, the eels have developed into juveniles, capable of swimming by themselves. Roughly 2-3 inches long, they begin to migrate up coastal rivers.
Maturity
The eels will spend as long as 20 years in freshwater maturing. Eventually they will grow to 3 to 4 feet in length. Once they have matured, they will begin another phase of their journey, back down the river to sea.
Spawning
Once they reach the sea eels cease to feed. Upon returning to the Sargasso Sea female eels will release 20 to 30 million eggs which are fertilized by male eels. Once they spawn, the adult eels die and their larvae begin the cycle again.
The End
Reporting and design by: Nick Malawskey | nmalawskey@pennlive.com