Eels have fascinated humans for thousands of years, captivating big thinkers like Aristotle and Freud,

and they still make their way into pop culture every now and again.

So they're going to go.

Electric eeles are not actually eels but I digress. It's Wednesday, September 4th and you're listening to science Friday.

I'm SciFi producer Shishana Bucksbaum. Despite existing on planet Earth for some 200 million years Eels are still rather mysterious creatures.

For instance, scientists still aren't sure exactly how they spawn.

But all of those unanswered questions haven't stopped humans from wanting to eat them.

And a lucrative criminal underworld

has risen up to poach baby eels from the wild

for exactly that purpose.

Here's guest host Rachel Feltman with more.

Joining me now to talk all about her journey

into the wild world of Eels is my guest.

Ellen Rupel Shell, author of Slippery Beast,

a true crime history with Eels. She splits her time between Bremen, Maine and Somerville, Massachusetts. Ellen, welcome to Science Friday.

It's great to be here. Thanks so much Rachel.

Thanks so much for coming on. So I'll start with the most obvious question to ask someone who wrote a book all about Eels, is why Eels? Well that's a simple question and a

complicated question so the short answer is I didn't find Eels,

Eels found me.

Would you like to know the story behind that?

I would love to know the story behind that.

Okay, well, quite a few years ago, as you mentioned, spend about half the year on the coast of Maine.

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