Meet Rita. She is an elver (juvenile) American Eel. That means that she is a kid like me. Rita is my best friend.

Rita is a little shy, very easy going and loves to play. She loves to play hide and seek in the mud

She is kindhearted and always helps others. She is always thinking about the safety of others, especially me.

The American Eel

The American Eel is a migratory fish with a complex life cycle. They are “catadromous” meaning they mature in fresh water and return to salt water to spawn. They spawn in only one place in the world, the Sargasso Sea in the Atlantic Ocean. They migrate as elvers and glass eels (referring to the early stages of their life cycle) to fresh water. Here they mature for up to 30 years. Then they migrate back to the Sargasso Sea to spawn.

· A long slender fish with small side (pectoral) fins right behind its gills and a long fin that runs around the tip of the tail. Looks “snake- like”.

· Bodies have mucus covered tiny scales which protects them from predators and bacteria.
· Sacred to some indigenous people who see the eel as a provider of nourishment, medicine and spiritual inspiration.
· Population has declined by 99 % since 1970s in the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario.