In a dimly lit room inside the Girard Marine Science Center, a new species has found its home in one of the building’s many large tanks.
Last November, the University of New England acquired almost 1000 American eels for research purposes at the Girard Marine Science Center. “We’ve never had these animals before. Every species is different and needs different things,” said Erin Ducharme, the vivarium manager at the GMSC.
“It’s a new system we’re still learning about,” she said, speaking about the recirculating aquaculture system the eel tank is a part of. The eels are the first species to be placed into the new system. They are currently being kept in a 6 foot diameter tank on the MSC’s first floor. The room needs to be kept dark as the eels are nocturnal and quickly swim away from any light.
“It was a steep learning curve for everybody,” Dr. Gwangseok Rex Yoon said. Dr. Yoon is an assistant professor at UNE and head of the Conservation Physiology and Aquaculture (CPA) Lab on campus. His lab will try to determine the effects of increasing temperature on the eels as a step towards making aquaculture systems more resilient to climate change.
“You can imagine this is a base camp for the eels before going out to the battlefield,” Dr. Yoon said.
Conservation aquaculture is different from conventional aquaculture practices. “We don’t grow them for human consumption. We grow them to stock the ocean,” Dr. Yoon said.
American eels are actually an important fishery for Maine. Elvers – the name for baby eels – are often caught and sold to aquaculture companies in Asia where they are raised for food. Elvers have reached prices of over $2,000 per pound in the past, according to the Maine Department of Marine Resources.
Maine is the only state in the country that allows for the commercial fishing of elvers which has led to an abundance of caution. The Maine DMR has a cap on the amount of elver licenses in the state.
“The trend is clear: the population is declining,” Dr. Yoon said. Despite the caution of lawmakers, climate change has hurt eel populations.
American eels travel from where they are born in the ocean into rivers across the east coast of the United States. Like salmon, they are able to live in both freshwater and saltwater. The hope for the lab is to release the eels once they have become fully grown to bolster stocks.
“We have just begun to collaborate on this eel conservation project,” Dr Yoon said. The research is being funded as part of a larger research initiative at UNE in collaboration with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. The initiative, called the UNE-GMRI Research Accelerator, has given nearly $40,000 dollars to four research projects led by faculty at both institutions.
The eels have already started to cause issues, including cannibalizing each other as a stress response. “They are not a gregarious species. They want to be alone,” Dr Yoon said.
“These animals are known for escaping. On the inflow pipe, there is this mesh over the hole. The eels, working together, pushed it out of the way so some of the small ones could get in,” Ducharme said.
Despite averaging a foot long, the eels are not fully grown yet. Though they may be long, the eels are quite thin with the smallest being able to fit in spaces the size of a nickel.
Ducharme and Dr. Yoon are trying to bring students on to help with these issues. The American Eel Habitat Enrichment Competition sees students working in groups to create prototype habitats that will be placed inside the tank with the eels.
“I was always looking for ways to get students involved,” Ducharme said. “I think we have 39 students officially signed on to the competition.”
The winning group will see their prototype made into a fully operational structure in addition to an unspecified cash prize.
The majority of the entrants are a part of Dr. Carrie Byron’s Marine Ecology course and have entered for class credit instead of the cash prize. “The faculty and staff at UNE are fantastic. When a student comes up and says that they want to do a project, the response is always ‘How can we make this happen?’” Ducharme said.
Dr. Yoon hopes that the work done here can have a real impact on not just the eels, but on the students as well. “Everyone can be a part of our conservation journey, regardless of major.”
