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Sand eel or sandeel is the common name used for a considerable number of species of fish. While they are not true eels, they are eel-like in their appearance and can grow up to 30 cm (12 in) in length.[1] Many species are found off the western coasts of Europe from Spain to Scotland, and in the Mediterranean and Baltic Seas.
Sand eels are an important food source for seabirds, including puffins and kittiwakes. They are a commercially important for the production of fish meal and made up 4% of fish globally caught for fish-meal production (behind anchovy, capelin, and blue whiting) between 1997 and 2001.[2]
- ^ "Sandeel". NatureScot. Retrieved 2020-11-16.
Sandeels are small eel-like fish which grow up to 30 cm in length and can often be found in vast shoals. They feed primarily on plankton of variable size, ranging from small plankton eggs up to larger energy rich copepods found in great abundance in Scotland's seas. Some species of sandeel can live for as long as 10 years, reaching maturity at around 2 years of age.
- ^ Huntington, T.; C. Frid; R. Banks C. Scott; O. Paramor (2004-02-10). 'Assessment of the Sustainability of Industrial Fisheries Producing Fish Meal and Fish Oil'. Report to RSPB (PDF) (Report). Poseidon Aquatic Resource Management Ltd. p. 6. Retrieved 2020-11-16.