This pregnant, female American eel was four feet long when she was
killed by the turbine blades of the Benton Falls hydro-electric dam on the
evening of October 25, 2004. She was most likely 20 - 40 years old. The
objects coming out of her mouth are her gills and stomach. The impact of
the turbine blades striking her head forced these internal organs to be
propelled out of her mouth. Photo taken Wednesday afternoon, October 27,
2004 at the Benton Falls Dam, Sebasticook River, Benton, Maine. Photo by
Douglas Harold Watts, Friends of the Kennebec Salmon, Augusta, Maine USA.
Q:
How are migrating American eels killed at hydroelectric dams?
A: This question is answered in detail here.
Q:
Do we have a good handle on the role American eels play within the ecosystem?
A: Like all animals, American eels play a diverse and complex role in the
ecosystem in which they live. Their role in the ecosystem is to eat other
organisms and be eaten by other organisms. During their long and complex
lives, American eels live in a variety of habitats, including freshwater
ponds, rivers, estuaries, coastal marine waters and the open ocean. They
serve as food for various animals in each of these habitats, from bald eagles,
mink, loons and otters in inland lakes and ponds, to striped bass and bluefish
in estuaries, to pelagic fish species in the open ocean.
Q: What
do we know about the health of the American eel population in Maine, New
England and the Eastern Seaboard?
A: On March 10, 2004 the American Eel Management Board of the Atlantic States
Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) issued a statement recommending the
protection of American eel under the United States Endangered Species Act.
The statement reads in part:
"Canadian and US data show 2003 commercial landings are the lowest
on record since 1945 and there are indications of localized recruitment
failure in the Lake Ontario/St. Lawrence River system. The International
Eel Symposium at the 2003 American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting reported
a worldwide decline of eel populations, including the Atlantic coast stock
of American eel ... The Commission also recommended that the US Fish and
Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
consider American eel in the Lake Ontario/St. Lawrence River/Lake Champlain/Richelieu
River system as a candidate for listing as a Distinct Population Segment
under the Endangered Species Act. The Board also recommended that the USFWS
and NMFS consider designating the entire coastwide stock as a candidate
for listing under the ESA."
In an April 2, 2004 press release, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
stated:
"The American eel is in danger of extinction in the Lake Ontario/St.
Lawrence River part of its range (waters are co-managed by Ontario Ministry
of Natural Resources (MNR) and New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation.) Factors contributing to this decline include eel harvest,
death in hydro turbines, barriers to migration routes (e.g. dams) and changing
environmental and climatic conditions."
Q: What effect might the death of female eels at hydro-electric dams
have on the American eel population as a whole?
A: The female eels being killed at hydro-electric dams in Maine and New
England each fall are migrating out of their freshwater homes to give birth
in the Atlantic Ocean east of Bermuda. American eels give birth only once
in their lives and die after doing so. Each female eel has only one opportunity
in its life to reach its mid-ocean spawning grounds to give birth. If the
female eel is killed en route to giving birth, that female eel does not
give birth.
If very few female eels are making it to the ocean alive to give birth --
then there will not be many baby eels the next year. Without babies, there
can be no adults. Passenger pigeons went extinct because they ran out of
babies. Bald eagles nearly went extinct because the adults could not give
birth, resulting in few or no baby eagles. No adults, no babies. No babies,
no adults.
Q: Are American eels really going extinct?
A: On March 10, 2004 the American Eel Management Board of the Atlantic States
Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) issued a statement recommending the
protection of American eel under the United States Endangered Species Act.
The statement reads in part:
"Canadian and US data show 2003 commercial landings are the lowest
on record since 1945 and there are indications of localized recruitment
failure in the Lake Ontario/St. Lawrence River system. The International
Eel Symposium at the 2003 American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting reported
a worldwide decline of eel populations, including the Atlantic coast stock
of American eel ... The Commission also recommended that the US Fish and
Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
consider American eel in the Lake Ontario/St. Lawrence River/Lake Champlain/Richelieu
River system as a candidate for listing as a Distinct Population Segment
under the Endangered Species Act. The Board also recommended that the USFWS
and NMFS consider designating the entire coastwide stock as a candidate
for listing under the ESA."
In an April 2, 2004 press release, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
stated:
"The American eel is in danger of extinction in the Lake Ontario/St.
Lawrence River part of its range (waters are co-managed by Ontario Ministry
of Natural Resources (MNR) and New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation.) Factors contributing to this decline include eel harvest,
death in hydro turbines, barriers to migration routes (e.g. dams) and changing
environmental and climatic conditions."
Q: How much electricity would be lost at hydroelectric dams to prevent
the death of female American eels attempting to migrate past these dams
during the fall?
A: Female American eels migrate from inland rivers and lakes and ponds to
the ocean during a 4-8 week period during the fall. They only migrate at
night. Turning off hydro-electric dam turbines at night during this period
has proven 100 percent effective at protecting migrating eels at those few
dams in which it has been tried. The amount of generated electricity "lost"
due to evening shutdowns during the fall depends on how much electricity
the specific dam generates on a daily basis during the fall. This is dependent
on the size of the dam, size of the river, etc. The number of hours of "lost"
generation for a 6 week evening project shutdown is (12 hours per day x
42 days = 504 hours). The total number of hours of generation in a year
is (24 hours x 365 days = 8760 hours). Therefore a six week evening shutdown
equals 504/8760 x 100 = 5 percent decrease in annual generation. Evening
project shutdowns of sufficient duration to allow female American eels to
safely reach the ocean would still allow 90-95 percent of existing annual
generation to continue at any particular hydro-electric dam in New England.
Q: What is being done to stop the killing of pregnant, female American
eels at hydroelectric dams?
A: Nothing. The photos on these pages prove this. For more details click
here.
Q: Can pregnant female American
eels give birth after they have had their heads chopped off by a hydro-electric
dam turbine?
A: Direct observation suggests that when female American eels have their
heads chopped off in hydro-electric dam turbines, the female eels die. There
has yet to be a documented instance where a female American eel gave birth
when it had no head.
SOURCES OF SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION:
Overview
of the American eel -- life history and habits.
Researchers
Warn of American Eel Decline
Evidence shows American
Eel Population in Steep Decline
ASMFC Recommendation for Endangered Species
Protection for American Eel
Findings of 2003 International Eel Symposium
--
"Worldwide Decline of Eels Necessitates Immediate Action."
Warning
from the Province of Ontario
Last
Fall for the American Eel -- News Story