The Polish Fishing Association in Opole, with the support of Bioagra, carried out another restocking of Lake Nysa. This time, 50 kg of young eels were released into the reservoir. Each individual, weighing about 12 grams, was born in the depths of the Sargasso Sea, on the other side of the globe.

As in previous seasons, several hundred thousand young fish of various species will be brought to Lake Nysa this year. The current campaign is part of the activity that Bioagra has been supporting since 2009, cooperating with the Polish Fishing Association in Opole. For this purpose, the company donates PLN 14k each year

– The company has been supporting the process of stocking Lake Nysa for over a dozen years – says Mirosław Obarski from Bioagra. – Stocking allows you to create a fully-fledged aquatic ecosystem.

Young eels, zanders, pike, carp, crucian carp and tench end up in Lake Nysa. Fish act as a natural filter in water reservoirs. They cleanse water bodies from excess vegetation and phytoplankton. Predatory fish regulate the population of the so-called peaceful feeding fish, e.g. bream, crucian carp, roach.

– In May, the so-called restocking eel entered Lake Nysa – says Jakub Roszuk, ichthyologist, director of the Polish Fishing Association (PZW) office in Opole. – These are individuals grown in artificial conditions, caught from the Atlantic Ocean, where they drift after birth in the depths of the Sargasso Sea.

The eel is one of the most fascinating and mysterious fish living in Polish water bodies. It usually lives in water, but during migrations it can even crawl on land at a speed of about 3 km/h. It can breathe through its skin and can therefore survive out of water for up to two days.

Eels undertake a one and a half year breeding journey. During this time, they migrate from inland waters to the Sargasso Sea on the other side of the Atlantic. They spawn there at a depth of up to 1 000 meters. Adults die, leaving behind eel larvae that can drift towards Europe for up to two years.

The European eel has been considered an endangered species. Since 2007, it has been protected under the Washington Convention (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).

Eel in Poland

Protective size in PZW waters: up to 60 cm

Protection period: from 1st December to 31st March

Daily catch limit: 2 pcs.

The largest eel caught in Poland: 6.43 kg / 144 cm.