TY - JOUR
T1 - The Seaward Migration of European Eel at a Continental Scale: A Europe-Wide Biotelemetry Meta-Analysis
AU - Verhelst, Pieterjan
AU - Righton, David
AU - Aarestrup, Kim
AU - Almeida, Pedro R.
AU - Bašić, Tea
AU - Bolland, Jonathan D.
AU - Carter, Liam
AU - Coeck, Johan
AU - Costa, José Lino
AU - Dainys, Justas
AU - Davidsen, Jan Grimsrud
AU - Domingos, Isabel
AU - Dorow, Malte
AU - Feunteun, Eric
AU - Frankowski, Jens
AU - Griffioen, Arie Benjamin
AU - Monteiro, Rui Miguel
AU - Moore, Andy
AU - Oldoni, Damiano
AU - Piper, Adam T.
AU - Quintella, Bernardo R.
AU - Reeds, Jake
AU - Trancart, Thomas
AU - Verschelde, Pieter
AU - Winter, Hendrik Volken
AU - Reubens, Jan
PY - 2025/5/22
Y1 - 2025/5/22
N2 - ABSTRACT The European eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) has a catadromous life cycle, with a single panmictic population that colonises continental Europe and northern Africa yet migrates 5000 to 9000 km to spawn in the Atlantic Ocean. It is unknown how this continental migration is organised so individual eels arrive in time for spawning with conspecifics. This meta-analysis combined tracking data from 18 water bodies in freshwater and transitional systems distributed along the southwest-northeast axis of Europe, resulting in a dataset of 2306 eels, making it the most comprehensive in terms of geographical coverage and number of eels tagged. The eels were tracked using acoustic telemetry and the Nedap Trail System and allowed us to study the eel's migration phenology at a continental scale. The findings reveal that the day when eels arrive at sea varies significantly with latitude, with northern eels arriving earlier. Migration speed differs between tidal and non-tidal habitats, suggesting that tidal currents facilitate faster movement. However, despite these patterns, we observed substantial variability in arrival at sea time and migration speed within water bodies, suggesting that the eel's migration phenology is considerably plastic. The presence of water regulating structures such as weirs, pumping stations and hydropower plants can impact migration timing and speed, potentially delaying eels, but is likely dependent on local hydrological conditions which can be water body specific.
AB - ABSTRACT The European eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) has a catadromous life cycle, with a single panmictic population that colonises continental Europe and northern Africa yet migrates 5000 to 9000 km to spawn in the Atlantic Ocean. It is unknown how this continental migration is organised so individual eels arrive in time for spawning with conspecifics. This meta-analysis combined tracking data from 18 water bodies in freshwater and transitional systems distributed along the southwest-northeast axis of Europe, resulting in a dataset of 2306 eels, making it the most comprehensive in terms of geographical coverage and number of eels tagged. The eels were tracked using acoustic telemetry and the Nedap Trail System and allowed us to study the eel's migration phenology at a continental scale. The findings reveal that the day when eels arrive at sea varies significantly with latitude, with northern eels arriving earlier. Migration speed differs between tidal and non-tidal habitats, suggesting that tidal currents facilitate faster movement. However, despite these patterns, we observed substantial variability in arrival at sea time and migration speed within water bodies, suggesting that the eel's migration phenology is considerably plastic. The presence of water regulating structures such as weirs, pumping stations and hydropower plants can impact migration timing and speed, potentially delaying eels, but is likely dependent on local hydrological conditions which can be water body specific.
U2 - 10.1111/faf.12904
DO - 10.1111/faf.12904
M3 - A1: Web of Science-article
VL - n/a
JO - Fish and Fisheries
JF - Fish and Fisheries
IS - n/a
ER -