Scientific American Interviews McCleave About Eels

Scientific American spoke with James McCleave, a University of Maine professor emeritus of marine sciences and a leading expert on eels, for the article “Glass eel gold rush casts Maine fishermen against scientists.” Maine fishermen have been catching glass eels, or elvers, and selling them at modest market prices for years, but demand from Asia has caused prices to skyrocket, according to the article. Some fisheries biologists are now worried about the eel’s survival because of a decline in population, the article states. “We’re supposed to manage fisheries on the precautionary principle. If the trend is down, we don’t say it’s OK,” McCleave said, adding eels were once abundant in East Coast freshwater ecosystems. He called eels a “keystone species,” and cautioned that if they are removed, many predator–prey relationships will fall apart. The Maine Public Broadcasting Network also cited the Scientific American article.