title: First evidence of European eels exiting the Mediterranean Sea during their spawning migration.
abstract: The migration route and the spawning site of the European eel Anguilla anguilla are still uncertain. It has been suggested that the Mediterranean eel stock does not contribute to spawning because there is no evidence of eels leaving the Mediterranean Sea. To test this hypothesis, we equipped eight female silver eels from the south of France with pop-up satellite tags during escapement from coastal waters. Once in deeper water, the eels quickly established diel vertical migration (DVM) between the upper and lower mesopelagic zone. Five tagged eels were taken by predators within the Mediterranean, but two eels reached the Atlantic Ocean after six months and at distances greater than 2000 km from release. These eels ceased their DVM while they negotiated the Gibraltar Strait, and remained in deep water until they reached the Atlantic Ocean, when they recommenced DVM. Our results are the first to show that eels from Mediterranean can cross the Strait of Gibraltar and continue their migration into the Atlantic Ocean. This finding suggests that Mediterranean countries, as for other EU states, have an important role to play in contributing to conservation efforts for the recovery of the European eel stock.
authors.affiliation: Univ. Perpignan Via Domitia, Centre de Formation et de Recherche sur les Environnements Méditerranéens, UMR 5110, F 66860, Perpignan, France.|CNRS, Centre de Formation et de Recherche sur les Environnements Méditerranéens, UMR 5110, F 66860, Perpignan, France.
authors.forename: Elsa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Amilhat
authors.affiliation: Technical University of Denmark, National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Silkeborg, DK-8600, Denmark.
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aarestrup
authors.affiliation: Univ. Perpignan Via Domitia, Centre de Formation et de Recherche sur les Environnements Méditerranéens, UMR 5110, F 66860, Perpignan, France.|CNRS, Centre de Formation et de Recherche sur les Environnements Méditerranéens, UMR 5110, F 66860, Perpignan, France.
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Faliex
authors.affiliation: Univ. Perpignan Via Domitia, Centre de Formation et de Recherche sur les Environnements Méditerranéens, UMR 5110, F 66860, Perpignan, France.|CNRS, Centre de Formation et de Recherche sur les Environnements Méditerranéens, UMR 5110, F 66860, Perpignan, France.
authors.forename: Gaël
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.affiliation: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Institute of Freshwater Research, Drottningholm, SE-178 93, Sweden.
authors.forename: Håkan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Westerberg
authors.affiliation: Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), Lowestoft, NR33 0HT, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Righton
mesh_terms: D000811:Anguilla / Q000502:physiology*; D025041:Animal Migration; D000818:Animals; D001267:Atlantic Ocean; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D008522:Mediterranean Sea; D012098:Reproduction