
Catch of the day is quickly sorted from a conveyer belt in to those that make the grade (Credit: Chris Baraniuk)
By Chris Baraniuk
Ten men are waiting in a cavernous warehouse on the northwestern tip of Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland. A small truck carrying several tanks pulls up. As the first tank is spilled out, water and a mass of wriggling eels flood down a chute and the workers quickly begin sorting them.
The very look of an eel actually turns some people off. They squirm at the idea of it
The men’s job is to spot any eels that are too small: less than 40cm in length. These weedy specimens are quickly flicked off the chute and allowed to writhe through a grate on the floor below. From there they may swim back out into the lough, free to live another day.