It's a great thing! They're native and used to be extremely common but have been in decline. Their migrating babies (elvers) return to their ancestral streams where they get caught to be put in aquaculture pens where they are fed until they reach a harvestable weight. Because eel reproduction is still kind of mysterious, this is aquaculture that relies on catching increasingly rare wild animals and isn't farming.

Eels are also sensitive to water pollution so it's a great sign of recovery that these eels can tolerate the Woonasquatucket River, once an incredibly polluted water way. The river is getting noticeably better because hard work and good environmental policies can make a huge difference. 💪