American Eel ladder. Never heard of this before.
By koopharper
@koopharper (7601)
Canada
October 21, 2012 7:22pm CST
This is totally cool. Fish ladders are fairly common features around dams in Canada allowing fish to reach spawning grounds. If you look at the picture attached to this discussion on the right hand side of the picture there is a sort of trough. That was designed to allow eels to climb the dam and enter the Irishtown reservoir in Moncton, NB. I imagine they spawn in the tributaries feeding the reservoir. Very cool conservation project. Is there anything like this where other myLotters live.
3 people like this
5 responses
@koopharper (7601)
• Canada
22 Oct 12
Amazing what you might stumble across on a family hike exploring. Had no idea we lived anywhere close to something like that. Good thing they had a sign explaining what it was because I wouldn't have thought much of it otherwise.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
22 Oct 12
The only similar thing is the salmon ladders in B.C. They have besides the rapids along the Fraser River and other tributaries to help the salmon get to the spawning ground. I live in Manitoba nowandso far have not seen anything like that. I guess eels must be a goodfoodfish out there and are of arrest commercial benefit.
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
23 Oct 12
What we have is sort of mini steps that go up and the fish jump op. These are wild salmon. I thought Atlantic salmon were usually farmed. I did not know they were also wild.
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@koopharper (7601)
• Canada
23 Oct 12
We have fish ladders here as well. I got a picture of a dam below here that has a fish ladder. It isn't really evident in the picture. I goes up in steps from the base of the dam up to the small building on the left of the dam where it switches back and empties into the pond behind the dam. I'm pretty sure it was intended for the Atlantic salmon.
2 people like this
@ShepherdSpy (8544)
• Omagh, Northern Ireland
23 Oct 12
Lough Erne near Me is one of the largest inland waterways in Ireland..connected to the River Shannon,the whole system traverses about 2/3 of the Island before emptying into the Atlantic..Eel fishing was an important industry here,but it got downgraded when a Hydro-Electric Generating station bypassed the waterfall near the Irish Border..I understand an Eel ladder was constructed,but I've never seen photos of it..
I do know Eels from here are shipped to London where "Jellied Eels" are a Traditional Delicacy..
@ShepherdSpy (8544)
• Omagh, Northern Ireland
23 Oct 12
http://www.esb.ie/main/sustainability/eel-trap-and-transport.jsp
I was looking for photos of the eel ladder,but found the Hydro power company's link above,mentioning that they will trap and transport eels upriver above the Dam...
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@koopharper (7601)
• Canada
23 Oct 12
I'd be interested in seeing pictures of that. Probably a great deal more impressive than the one we have here.
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
22 Oct 12
hi koopharper I never heard of it before. the only eel I ever saw got caught on my bait when I was fishing and I had to get my '
granddad to take it off the hook for me. of course we didn't eat it but put it back in the creek.So I know little about eels. so they have a ladder to climb the dam and enter the Irishtown
reservoir.thats a very cool project indeed.
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@koopharper (7601)
• Canada
22 Oct 12
When I was a kid we visited Holland and I saw them fishing for them in the canals there. Smoked eel is a delicacy there. The slimy things don't appeal to me though.
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
25 Mar 16
@koopharper ugh not me no way lol
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@Fleura (30346)
• United Kingdom
25 Mar 16
@koopharper I've eaten eels, they are just like any other white fish really except in shape.
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