Rare American eel caught in Chicago River surprises local fishermen

Rare American eel found in Chicago River

 A rare catch in the Chicago river is making waves. An American eel was recently reeled in downtown.  Kasey Chronis is live along the riverwalk with the unusual find that has people talking. 

CHICAGO - A rare catch in the Chicago River is drawing attention after an American eel was reeled in downtown.

Ben Gorashchenko, 25, of River North, made the exciting discovery while fishing last week.

Rare eel caught in Chicago River

The backstory:

Gorashchenko and his friend, Joshua Lee, 24, were fishing along the Chicago Riverwalk near Grand Avenue around 9 p.m. Monday, May 4 — in search of carp. Gorashchenko, an avid fisherman, had recently pulled a 20-pound common carp from the river and was hoping to accomplish a similar feat.

Instead, the pair reeled in something far more unusual — an American eel.

"We kept it at the bottom for a good minute before pulling it out because I thought it was a snake. I've researched all the fish in this area extensively, and I didn't even know this was an option — it doesn't even appear on the fishing app, Fishbrain, or anywhere. I had [Joshua] take a picture and use AI to figure out what it was," said Gorashchenko. "At first we were disappointed with the eel until we researched and saw how unique it was."

There have been very few instances of the species being found in the Chicago River. The fish are born in the Sargasso Sea, a region of the Atlantic Ocean southeast of Bermuda. From there, young eels travel inland into freshwater streams and estuaries where they live most of their adult lives. It isn't until eels are ready to spawn and die that they return to their birthplace. 

What they're saying:

Gorashchenko posted his find on Reddit, where it quickly caught the attention of fishing enthusiasts and local wildlife groups.

According to experts, it's been several years since a similar discovery was made.

"The presence of an eel is really fun because they are unusual," said Margaret Frisbie, the executive director of Friends of the Chicago River. "In the 1970s, there were 10 species of fish in the river and now there's 80. Not only is there an increase in the number of species, but there's also a huge increase in the abundance of fish." 

Frisbie says the rare catch is another indicator of the improving health and growing biodiversity of the Chicago River ecosystem.

"It's just terrific evidence of all the work that we've done and our partners have done to make the river healthy for wildlife — and for people too," Frisbie explained. "The symbolism of this beautiful creature coming to the Chicago area and being in our river is just something that gets people attached and excited about wildlife. They start to understand that the river is alive, and if it's healthy and hospitable to wildlife, then we can have beautiful, wonderful, amazing, unusual creatures like an American eel."

What's next:

After documenting the catch, Gorashchenko and Lee released the eel back into the Chicago River.

Gorashchenko also reported the discovery to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.