{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Kaatscast: the Catskills Podcast","title":"Little Spaghetti Noodles: The Secret Life of the American Eel","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1370,"description":"Every spring, something remarkable happens in the tidal waters of Black Creek in Esopus, New York: tiny, translucent eels — just an inch and a half long and barely the weight of a postage stamp — swim in from the Atlantic Ocean, following a journey that began in the Sargasso Sea nearly a year before.In this episode, guest host Sierra DeVito joins the Hudson River Eel Project at Black Creek Preserve, where Professor Susan Hereth of SUNY New Paltz leads a team of college and high school students in weekly data collection on the American eel — one of nature's most elusive and mysterious creatures. No one has ever witnessed eels spawning. No one knows exactly what draws them to the Hudson, or to Black Creek specifically. And yet, year after year, they return.We wade in with the crew as they haul the fyke net, count and weigh glass eels, record field data, and release the eels upstream. We also hear from students about what it means to do real science in the real world — and why it matters.In this episode:The remarkable (and still poorly understood) life cycle of the American eel, from the Sargasso Sea to the Catskill tributariesHow community scientists collect data that feeds into long-term fisheries researchThe black market for glass eels — and why a single eel can be worth serious moneyWhy getting students into the muck may be the best environmental education of allFor more information or to inquire about volunteering with the Hudson River Eel Project, visit the NYS DEC website — https://dec.ny.gov/nature/waterbodies/oceans-estuaries/hudson-river-estuary-program/community-science-volunteer-opportunities","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/kC2tDKp5AiGoaoITLgiKh3BkshBRrteoATu8VF0pa0c/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS80YTAy/ZGM2YzEzZjM2N2Vj/MGNjNzU2NmJmNDQ4/Y2U0OC5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}