Eels come from the ocean, specifically the Sargasso Sea in the North Atlantic. European eels, for example, migrate from rivers across Europe to the Sargasso Sea to breed. After spawning, the adult eels die, and the larvae drift back on ocean currents to the coasts of Europe, where they grow and mature in freshwater before eventually repeating the cycle by migrating back to the Sargasso Sea to spawn. This remarkable journey covers thousands of miles and was confirmed by scientists who tracked eel migrations as recently as 2022. Similar migrations exist for other eel species, such as the Japanese eel, which migrates to the West Mariana Ridge in the Pacific Ocean for spawning.
