European Eel vs Smallmouth Bass

Anguilla anguilla comparado com Micropterus dolomieu

Taxonomy & Classification

Atributo	European Eel	Smallmouth Bass
Nome Científico	Anguilla anguilla	Micropterus dolomieu
Ordem	Elopomorpha	Centrarchiformes
Família	Megalopidae	Centrarchidae
Conservation Status	Critically Endangered	Least Concern

Physical Traits

Atributo	European Eel	Smallmouth Bass
Comprimento Máximo	133,0 cm	69,0 cm
Peso Máximo	6,6 kg	5,4 kg
Cor	Yellow-olive to olive-brown back and sides in the freshwater 'yellow eel' phase; maturing 'silver eel' phase develops a dark gray-black back with a silvery-white belly and enlarged eyes.	Bronze-green to golden-brown body with 13–15 irregular dark brown vertical bars or blotches on the flanks; red-orange eyes; belly pale cream; dark brown radiating lines from eye to snout.

Habitat & Environment

Atributo	European Eel	Smallmouth Bass
Tipo de Água	Freshwater & Saltwater	Freshwater
Faixa de Profundidade	0-700m	1-7m
Distribuição Geográfica	Spawns in the Sargasso Sea and larvae drift to European and North African coasts on the Gulf Stream. Adults inhabit rivers, lakes, and coastal waters …	Native to the St. Lawrence River and Great Lakes drainage south through the Ohio River system and upper Mississippi basin. Prefers clear, cool, rocky streams …
Habitat	Estuaries	Clear, cool rivers and streams of eastern North America from the Great Lakes to Tennessee. Prefers rocky and gravelly substrate in moderate to fast current. …

Informações de Pesca

Atributo	European Eel	Smallmouth Bass
Peixe Esportivo	Sim	Sim
Classificação de Resistência	—	8/10
Recorde Mundial	—	—
Nível de Mercúrio	—	—

Cuisine & Edibility

European Eel

Rich, fatty flesh with a distinctive earthy flavor; classically smoked, jellied (in Britain), or grilled kabayaki-style. Critically Endangered — consumption strongly discouraged; population down 90%.

Smallmouth Bass

Clean, white, mildly flavored flesh with low fat; considered slightly firmer and more flavorful than largemouth bass. Excellent pan-fried or baked; a respected table fish in the Great Lakes region.

Species Overview

European Eel

The European eel undertakes one of nature's most remarkable migrations, traveling 5,000 km from European rivers to the Sargasso Sea to spawn and die. Despite centuries of study, its breeding grounds were only recently confirmed.

Smallmouth Bass

The smallmouth bass is widely considered the best-fighting freshwater fish pound-for-pound. Found in clear, rocky streams and lakes, it is more athletic and acrobatic than its larger cousin, the largemouth bass.