October 6, 2016 — Scientists are a step closer to solving the mystery of one of the great animal migrations.
Each autumn, eels leave European rivers to travel across the Atlantic Ocean to breed for a single time, then die.
Tagging studies show that the fish swim more than 3,000 miles (4,800 km) to the Sargasso Sea.
But, rather than one mass spawning in the spring – an idea held for a century – their arrival is staggered, UK researchers say.
“Eel migration is a rather romantic tale,” said lead researcher David Righton, head of the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) in Lowestoft.
“Eels only spawn once in their lifetime and then they die, so they’re making this final journey of their life, towards the Sargasso Sea, to meet their life’s goals, if you like.
“And so the fact that we’ve got a little bit of insight into that – but we’ve also got some new questions about how eels tackle that really fundamental problem of meeting that life goal – is really, really fascinating.”