Inquiry: James Prosek: EELS: AN EXPLORATION

Eels are among the world’s least understood and appreciated fish. They live in our streams and rivers, yet migrate all the way to the Sargasso Sea to breed. Tonight on Inquiry, we welcome back writer, angler and artist JAMES PROSEK who talks about his unique new book EELS: AN EXPLORATION, FROM NEW ZEALAND TO THE SARGASSO, OF THE WORLD’S MOST MYSTERIOUS FISH. Prosek spends time with traditional eel fishermen who build stone weirs to catch the migrant eels just like peoples have been doing for thousands of years. He also visits with Maori tribesmen from New Zealand and the Eel Clan of the remote island of Pohnpei, both groups of people who worship eels and incorporate them into their mythologies. What Prosek discovers is that humans ideas about eels cannot be explained by simple natural history, but are a fish that exist in the imaginations and spirituality of people. Tune in for an unexpected look at a very unusual fish.