Slip Slidin' Away

Four hundred and seventy-five years ago today, Europeans discovered the Saint Lawrence River. Now, the river's once-abundant eels are on the verge of extinction

On June 9, 1534, the French explorer Jacques Cartier became the first European to lay eyes on a massive river that connected the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. He named it the St. Lawrence River after the patron saint whose feast was celebrated on that day.

Known as Kahnawákye by the native Tuscarora people of Ontario and Kaniatarowanenneh by the Mohawk of southern Quebec, the St. Lawrence has given much to the inhabitants of North America, where humans first set foot around 20 to 15 million years ago.

That may seem like a long time, but for the American eel, which has been around for about 125 million years, humans are still the new kids on the block.

What a difference a few centuries make: Due to overfishing, this ancient animal is on the edge of extinction.

"It is commercially exploited in nearly every phase of its life," said Steve LaPan from the New York Department of Environmental Conservation in a recent Associated Press story.

Scientists believe that the eel has acted as a "predatory buffer," preventing invasive species like the round goby from disrupting the food chain. The round goby was accidentally introduced to the Great Lakes by cargo ships.

According to the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center, the United States has exported between $6 to $8 million worth of frozen American eels since 2001 -- mainly to Belgium and South Korea. But the Japanese have the biggest appetite for eel, accounting for up to 80% of the global consumption.

"Add the environmental pressures introduced by humans...in some respects, you look at this creature's life and have to ask how it hasn't gone extinct already," LaPan said. "This animal has a lot of strikes going against it -- and it's not a furry, cuddly creature that embraces people's passion."

GET INVOLVED

• Download the Environmental Defense Fund's "Pocket Eco-Friendly Fish Selector" to make choices that help prevent overfishing

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photo: Dauphin Map of Canada (circa 1543) showing Jacques Cartier's discoveries (credit: Project Gutenberg)