Glass eel

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Glass eels at the transition from the sea to fresh water. The skin is still translucent and the red gills and heart are visible. Length approx. 8 cm. Photo: Uwe Kils

The glass eel is the juvenile stage of the eels (Anguillidae), which follows the willow leaf larvae stage. The juvenile fish is called "glass eel" because it is still translucent at this stage.

Elver pass through the sea , and can in the lower reaches ( potamal of the rivers) to the habitats of adult eels migrate or in the range of estuaries to settle, especially in cold seawater.

Glass eel and human

exploitation

Fishing for glass eels can be significant locally or regionally. At the Arzal estuary in Vilaine , Brittany , France, catches and stocks were analyzed from 1996 to 2000. It turned out that only 0.3 to 3.9% of the glass eel population reached the river above the dam. This overfishing , the researchers conclude, is leading to a decline in the stock. Therefore glass eels are caught in the seas and released in inland waters .

In Asia , glass eels are considered a delicacy . In the meantime, there has been a lucrative illegal trade in glass eels from Europe to Asia.

Replacement product

Gulas from surimi

Glass eels are traditionally a very popular Christmas dish ( angulas ) , especially in the Basque Country . In recent years, because of the very high prices, an "Angulas substitute" made from surimi (fish protein with flavorings), called gulas, has been developed . The mass is first pressed into molds, after which each piece is given two dots painted with food coloring as eyes to make the product more realistic.

Legal status

As a migratory population, insofar as it crosses national jurisdiction borders, glass eels are subject to the protection of the Bonn Convention of 1983 ( Convention for the Conservation of Migratory Wildlife Species ).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Eric Edeline, Patrick Lambert, Christian Rigaud, Pierre Elie: Effects of body condition and water temperature on Anguilla anguilla glass eel migratory behavior . In: Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology , Volume 331, No. 2, April 18, 2006, pp. 217-225, doi : 10.1016 / j.jembe.2005.10.011 .
  2. ↑ C. Briand, D. Fatin, G. Fontenelle, E. Feunteun: Estuarine and fluvial recruitment of the European glass eel, Anguilla anguilla, in an exploited Atlantic estuary. In: Fisheries Management and Ecology , Volume 10, No. 6, December 2003, pp. 377-384, doi : 10.1111 / j.1365-2400.2003.00354.x .
  3. ↑ Over two million glass eels released in Berlin waters. In: berlin.de . March 7, 2019, accessed March 17, 2019 .
  4. ↑ Does the eel survive? In: maz-online.de . March 28, 2018, accessed March 17, 2019 .
  5. ↑ 2000 glass eels were supposed to be smuggled into Asia as a delicacy. Stern , December 4, 2018, accessed December 4, 2018 .
  6. ↑ The European eel - an endangered species of fish. (PDF; 286 KB) Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office , February 6, 2019, accessed on December 1, 2019 .