World's largest eel by type found in Sandbanks 'not uncommon'

The eel, which is the largest by weight in the world, was spotted by resident Charlotte St Clair on a walk last Friday.

Dorset Wildlife Trust’s marine awareness officer Julie Hatcher said conger eels are not uncommon and can often be seen by divers in deeper waters, especially in shipwrecks. 

She said: “They like to live in holes and sometimes get into a hole then grow too big to get out. 

“They are mostly active at night when they can come out of their hole and be seen free-swimming, although I’ve seen them doing this during the day too.  

Read more: 'World's largest type of eel' washes up dead on Sandbanks beach

“I’ve only ever seen one conger eel rock pooling (at Kimmeridge) on an extremely low tide.  

“Cause of death could be natural or being caught by a fisherman and released but too stressed to survive.  

“Once dead in the sea the body could drift ashore. An interesting fact is that congers migrate long distances into the deep  Atlantic ocean to breed and then die. The adults do not return.”  

Charlotte with the eel (Image: Charlotte St Clair)

Charlotte's find wasn’t reported to the Marine Conservation Society. 

British Sea Fishing describes the smooth-skinned, scaleless eel as being a “highly-rated catch” by sea anglers due to the fight it can put up when on the end of a rod.