This diary was originally posted to Daily Kos on September 6, 2006. Normal diary schedule should resume starting next week. Sorry for the absence this summer.
A while back I posted a diary on the American Eel. There is another species of eel on the New England shores that is less well known. The conger eel (Conger oceanicus) is rarely seen, even by the most dedicated fishermen. It is extremely shy, spending most of its time hiding out in caves or rock crevices. It is also strictly nocturnal, active only at night when it comes out to prey on fish and crustaceans.
Congers are true eels, having a continuous vertical fin. That is the dorsal, ventral and caudal (tail) fins are all joined with no breaks in between. And they get huge. An adult conger can reach a length of nine feet and weigh over a hundred pounds. It is perhaps the largest shallow water fish on our coasts.