CRV volunteers helped construct eel mops over the winter in preparation for collaborating with Seabrook middle-school students. An eel mop is a device designed to catch glass eels and elvers, the early life stages of the American eel, Anguilla rostrata. It mimics eel habitat so they will seek refuge in the nooks and crannies of the mop.
As the tide moved in at Cains brook, in Seabrook NH, two young future scientists, Amelie and Sloane, helped toss the eel mops into the brook.
A few grass shrimp and a mummichog later, we quickly learned how to best hoist these mops out of the water (without losing critters). It was a great learning experience; testing protocol, locations, and overall learning how these eels mops work.
The goal of the project is for the students to learn about the Hampton-Seabrook Estuary Watershed through research and stewardship related to the American eel. A huge thank you to the CRV volunteers who have made these eel mops!
