Eel Release in Pine Creek

Overnight we had a little more thunder and lightning but hardly any rain fell on the Aerie. There was just 0.05 inches in the rain gauge when I checked it at 3 PM.

I got off to the eel release this morning at around 8 AM and ran into a few showers (and lots and lots of trucks) as I headed out to Wellsboro and on to Asaph and the USGS Research Facility (aka The Fish Labs). What normally takes me just 35-40 minutes ended up being a 50 minute ride because of all the tankers carrying fracking fluids or water and the flatbed semis hauling heavy equipment. But, being a US Govt. run operation, the fact that I arrived a wee bit late meant that I was still early.

Eight of us were going to participate in this release of eels--besides the thousands and thousands of eels, that is.

Baby eels await release.

We had three folks from the Fish Labs who had been raising these eels from the tiny glass eel stage. Captured off the Maryland shore and shipped north via auto and truck relay in which I participated, they were only an inch to an inch and a half in length, completely colorless and had a mass of just 0.01 gram. Today, most were in the three inch range, were darkly pigmented and massed out at around 0.5 grams. Okay, the last isn't so impressive, but that's a fivefold increase in their body mass in a little over two months. You try it!

Robert Deems (USGS)

Heather Galbraith and Carrie Blakeslee (USGS)

All three were probably very happy to see these eels out in the wild. Caring for tens of thousands of the little guys can be tiresome. First, as with any aquarium, you've got to keep the water clean and cool. (Around 20 degrees C is what these eels like.) You've got to feed 'em. Then, as they get older, you've got to watch out for any that grow too big. See, they are cannibals. Big guys eat little guys. Quickly. And often. So any "big" eel has to be put in a tank with other eels that are the same size. Luckily, since these were only held for a few months, the sizing was not a real issue, but they have some eels in tanks that have grown to fifteen to eighteen inches in captivity.

Down in Maryland, the USFWS provided the eels from the ocean and started the relay to bring them north above the dams. Presnet for today's release was Steve Minkkinen (no photo) who leads the project and Julie Devers who helped to transport the eels north.

Julie Devers (USFWS)

Finally, there were three of us there from the Tiadaghton Audubon Society (TAS). Only Bob Ross donned waders and put eels in the water. I stayed behind the camera and Phil Krajewski, who was responsible for obtaining grant money to fund this particular project, observed.

Robert Deems (USGS) and Bob Ross (TAS and formerly of the USGS)

Casual observation showed that the women did most of the releasing. With Robert D. doing much of the rest. Bob R. handled three or four bags of eels.

Julie Devers (USFWS), Heather Galbraith (USGS), and Carrie Blakeslee (USGS)

Here's a shot of everyone except yours truly.



Approximately 50,000 eels went free today. As many went out into Buffalo Creek south of Lewisburg yesterday. hopefully they will live long and prosper in these headwaters of the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay Watershed. And with their success, may they also prove to be hospitable hosts for the larvae of mussels who will in turn keep the water clean for trout and smallmouth bass.