Good Things: Glass Eels in Staten Island

Dominick Margolas (facing the camera in a green t-shirt) and his classmates count glass eels in Staten Island's Richmond Creek.

Each spring millions of tiny glass eels enter New York City’s waterways. These juvenile American eels migrate here from somewhere in the Sargasso Sea. And it’s the job of this Staten Island science class to help count them. The count is part of the Hudson River Eel Project, a partnership with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and the NYC Department of Environmental Protection.

A glass eel (bottom) and an elver (next developmental stage) caught in Richmond Creek in Staten Island.