EELS: you either love 鈥檈m or hate 鈥檈m. Well, perhaps few people have such strong feelings about eels, but this book should change that. Prosek鈥檚 account of 11 years spent in pursuit of 鈥渢he world鈥檚 most mysterious fish鈥� is both enthralling and appalling.
What started as an investigation into where eels spawn evolved into something part-travelogue, part-anthropological study, part campaign to save the eel. The eel鈥檚 story is remarkable, and so are Prosek鈥檚 tales of eel people. We meet Ray, who rebuilds a giant stone eel trap in the Catskill Mountains near New York, only to see his eels flushed away by flood waters. We hang out with Stella, a Maori student of New Zealand鈥檚 eels, who lures decades-old giants out of the river with dog food. Then there are the eel people of the Pacific island of Pohnpei, who claim an eel as their ancestor. If you ever visit, don鈥檛 ask to eat eel.
Eels: An exploration, from New Zealand to the Sargasso, of the world鈥檚 most mysterious fish
Harper