Questions about cave eel in Manatee Springs

During a dive yesterday (02/21/2016) in Manatee Springs, my buddy and I observed an eel in the cave just upstream of Catfish Hotel. It was about 10-12 inches in length (a baby/ juvenile?), with a greenish-brown upper coloration and white on the underside. I have only ever seen one other eel in the ten or so years of cave diving and it has piqued my curiosity. For those who know, are these just common American Freshwater Eels, is this a distinct population or sub-species, or is this a separate species altogether? How rare are they and where do they live most of the time?

My buddy and I were also lucky to have a manatee swim around us while we were deco'ing in the head spring. I'm kicking myself for not bringing my video camera on this dive.

Sean,

I have seen them at the Nest.

I've see them quite often at Ginnie .smaller maybe 12-18" long on average

I saw one last time in the Ginnie ballroom (September?) during a dive with my wife.

Around 30 years ago, eels were pretty common in FL caves, especially on the millpond. Twin used to have dozens of them. I didn't see any last week. I did see one big one in JB though. It is probably a good sign that they may be returning. On the other hand, they "hide" by stirring up silt :(

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Originally Posted by FW

Around 30 years ago, eels were pretty common in FL caves, especially on the millpond. Twin used to have dozens of them. I didn't see any last week. I did see one big one in JB though. It is probably a good sign that they may be returning. On the other hand, they "hide" by stirring up silt :(

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I did not remember seeing them for years on the millpond but in the past year or 2 I have seen many. Maybe a dozen in jb about 6 months ago. I see them on the river caves all the time and figured the dam kept them out of the millpond.

My understanding is they are all the same. Born in the sea, migrate to freshwaters and then return to sea later in life to make more....

Just go to Morrison they are everywhere. Like Ben said I have seen them in JB. The ones I have seen have been around the Trash Room. I was told they are actually a salt water eel that migrates up into the springs. I don't know if that is true or not. I am curious how they are getting past the damn on the Millpond if that is true.

i saw 2 big ones at the 600' mark or so in JB today. Some big catfish were also hanging around at the same location.

I also saw one in the distance of the trash room on way out. Pretty neat to see in the cave.


The amount of minnows in JB right now is ridiculous!

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Originally Posted by patpicos

i saw 2 big ones at the 600' mark or so in JB today. Some big catfish were also hanging around at the same location.

I also saw one in the distance of the trash room on way out. Pretty neat to see in the cave.


The amount of minnows in JB right now is ridiculous!

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Must have past you in the cave today. I saw a cave crayfish with a half minnow in his claw.

:) were you one of the sidekick RB divers? only folks that i saw that were in the cave beside our group....or the class in the cavern

I don't recall seeing any but will keep an eye out on my next trip.

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Thanks everyone. I did find this youtube video regarding the eels in Vortex: https://youtu.be/pcVOp_Icm3s . Hopefully we see more and more of them as time progresses. They are apparently threatened and endangered, mainly due to the numerous dams built on the rivers that constitute their migration route between the gulf and the upstream springs/ caves.

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Originally Posted by sdenney

Thanks everyone. I did find this youtube video regarding the eels in Vortex: https://youtu.be/pcVOp_Icm3s . Hopefully we see more and more of them as time progresses. They are apparently threatened and endangered, mainly due to the numerous dams built on the rivers that constitute their migration route between the gulf and the upstream springs/ caves.

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Interesting that the Florida Natural Area Inventory doesn't have them listed to rank them as far as imperiled status. There are eels in many systems,but their appearance is rare, and often an unique occurrence.

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Originally Posted by FW

Around 30 years ago, eels were pretty common in FL caves, especially on the millpond. Twin used to have dozens of them. I didn't see any last week. I did see one big one in JB though. It is probably a good sign that they may be returning. On the other hand, they "hide" by stirring up silt :(

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Some of them would actually hang on the line in twin until they saw you. There were enough to trash the vis if they wanted to for sure. They could trash the vis in HITW as well.

I guess they aren't actually threatened and endangered according to the FWS (http://www.fws.gov/northeast/americaneel/). As I've only seen two in my ten years of cave diving, I still think they're pretty rare.

They used to be very common in Florida caves. I remember seeing them at times in thick mats like a undulating bedding plane. They are all females. The males stay at sea, or brackish water. They mate in the Sargasso Sea and the young, tiny and transparent swim to the coast, including the gulf, and then the females swim up rivers inland. They travel for years and there is only the one species east of the Mississippi. The females swim back to sea upon reaching reproductive age, join the males, and they all swim back to the sargasso to mate. Unknown is how long they live. Also unknown is whether they come in waves or cycles en masse or if it's continuous. If there is a fifteen or twenty year cycle then it may be time for their return.

I dove Jug Hole 3 times during the past month and each time saw an 18" +- eel in the Blue Room swimming along the wall just before entering the cave.

Saw an eel in the Ear at Ginnie yesterday

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I recall seeing a large white stripped eel drop out of the ceiling a ways into Luraville cave & it scared me pretty good. It was black on top with white stripes underneath. Maybe 8ft+ in length. There seems to be many subspecies in various locations thruout North America's caves.....>
http://www.stripers247.com/americaneel.htm
https://www.google.com/search?q=flor...iZ7_eIxtYEM%3A

je

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Originally Posted by JE

... There seems to be many subspecies in various locations thruout North America's caves.....>
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je

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I'm not aware of any subspecies of American Eel. While there are still many unknowns about the Eel, current thought is it is the same species from Venezuela to Greenland, with the Sargasso Sea as their common ground.

http://www.fws.gov/northeast/america...sheet_2015.pdf

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The larvae of this snake-like fish passively use ocean currents to leave the Sargasso Sea for homes throughout its fresh- and brackish water range from Greenland south to Venezuela. Eels do not necessarily return to the same areas where their parents grew up; rather, they are randomly deposited into areas out of the ocean currents and then swim to coastal habitats.

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JB is pretty much the only cave I dive due to logistical constrains. Any way, I have always seen fish in the front of JB. Maybe the rare stray cat fish down the chimney. Well I was lucky enough to get into JB for the first time in almost 4 years this week. For the first few dives I stayed in the cavern and did not venture down the chimney. Once I felt confident I did a couple of lights out and line drills and decided I was feeling confident enough to go to the first break down. It just felt great getting back in the caves. The first thing I noticed that was different was the huge amount of minnows that all but covered the bottom of the cave. Then suddenly I saw this big black figure out of the corner of my eye. At first I thought it was another diver of maybe a scooter that someone staged. Then I realized what it was. It was a huge eel. Now for those who know me, I hate snakes and as far ass I am concerned an eel is 1-2 anatomy features from being a snake. (I know they are actually the same phylum and different classes all together). I know everything looks bigger underwater, but this thing was as thick as my calf and had to be close to 4' long. I guess I am lucky to see one but it scared the S**t out of me. I am sure they are harmless but I would prefer to just continue seeing the wet rocks. Talked to Edd after the dive, he said they are becoming more common.

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Originally Posted by adam0321

JB is pretty much the only cave I dive due to logistical constrains. Any way, I have always seen fish in the front of JB. Maybe the rare stray cat fish down the chimney. Well I was lucky enough to get into JB for the first time in almost 4 years this week. For the first few dives I stayed in the cavern and did not venture down the chimney. Once I felt confident I did a couple of lights out and line drills and decided I was feeling confident enough to go to the first break down. It just felt great getting back in the caves. The first thing I noticed that was different was the huge amount of minnows that all but covered the bottom of the cave. Then suddenly I saw this big black figure out of the corner of my eye. At first I thought it was another diver of maybe a scooter that someone staged. Then I realized what it was. It was a huge eel. Now for those who know me, I hate snakes and as far ass I am concerned an eel is 1-2 anatomy features from being a snake. (I know they are actually the same phylum and different classes all together). I know everything looks bigger underwater, but this thing was as thick as my calf and had to be close to 4' long. I guess I am lucky to see one but it scared the S**t out of me. I am sure they are harmless but I would prefer to just continue seeing the wet rocks. Talked to Edd after the dive, he said they are becoming more common.

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They were very common 30 years ago. Twin cave was full of them. It appears they are making a comeback. FWIW, fresh water eels aren't like ocean eels, and don't tend to bite. I wouldn't suggest trying to grab one, but they swim away from divers. The only annoying thing about them is they tend to "hide" by stirring up the silt :(

see that's bad because then I will be unable to see them.

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Originally Posted by adam0321

see that's bad because then I will be unable to see them.

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You should stay away from silt anyway :-D

ha ha I know. But silt won't chase me

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Originally Posted by adam0321

ha ha I know. But silt won't chase me

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You are starting to sound like Indiana Jones :roll:

I know it's completely irrational. I have been hiking and seen bears no big deal, gators while kayaking, don't care. Even my German shepherd can do way more damage to me than any Eel. It's just the hole snake thing. don't like them never have. There used to be a water snake that hung out at JB that I used to hate getting geared up around.

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