2 million baby eels released into Landmelen

Two million juvenile eels were released at Landmelen on Friday. His DUPAN Foundation, which monitors eel stocks in the Netherlands, reported that juvenile eels are coming from the mouth of the French Atlantic Ocean. At this time of year, there is a surplus of fry, also called elvars.

There are too few young eels in the Netherlands. In 2009, the government launched a plan to increase eel production, releasing glass eels every year to increase eel resources.

Glass eels are born in the Sargasso Sea off the coast of Mexico. After traveling 6000 kilometers, they reach the coasts of Europe and grow in inland waters. But the shore is impenetrable for young eels. Therefore, some of the elvar that has accumulated in large quantities on the French coast is released elsewhere in Europe.

More juvenile eels will be released this spring at various locations in the Netherlands in suitable areas chosen by the government. Once the glass eels have matured into adult eels (silver eels), they are free to swim out of these areas and out into the Atlantic, where they can spawn in the Sargasso Sea.