Slippery Beast: A True Crime Natural History, with Eels

by Ellen Ruppel Shell

Ellen Ruppel Shell’s Slippery Beast is a fascinating account of a deeply mysterious creature—the eel—a thrilling saga of true crime, natural history, travel, and big business. What is it about eels? Depending on who you ask, they are a pest, a fascination, a threat, a pot of gold. What they are not is predictable. Eels emerged some 200 million years ago, weathered mass extinctions and continental shifts, and were once among the world’s most abundant freshwater fish. But since the 1970s, their numbers have plummeted. Because eels—as unagi—are another delicious. In Slippery Beast, journalist Ellen Ruppel Shell travels in the world of “eel people,” pursuing a burgeoning fascination with this mysterious and highly coveted creature. Despite centuries of study by celebrated thinkers from Aristotle to Leeuwenhoek to a young Sigmund Freud, much about eels remains unknown, including exactly how eels beget other eels. Eels cannot be bred reliably in captivity, and as a result, infant eels are unbelievably valuable. A pound of the tiny, translucent, bug-eyed “elvers” caught in the cold fresh waters of Maine can command $3,000 or more on the black market. Illegal trade in eels is an international scandal measured in billions of dollars every year. In Maine, federal investigators have risked their lives to bust poaching rings, including the notorious half-decade-long “Operation Broken Glass.” Ruppel Shell follows the elusive eel from Maine to the Sargasso Sea and back, stalking riversides, fishing holes, laboratories, restaurants, courtrooms, and America’s first commercial eel “family farm,” which just might upend the international market and save a state. This is an enthralling, globe-spanning look at an animal that you may never come to love, but which will never fail to astonish you, a miraculous creature that tells more about us than we can ever know about it.

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals, Science, Audiobook, True Crime, History, Nature

304 pages, Hardcover

Published August 6, 2024

About the author

Ellen Ruppel Shell is a science journalist.

Reviews

[Miranda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was sold on this book the moment I saw the subtitle. Who doesn’t hear a true crime natural history, with eels, and want to know more? Unfortunately I still feel like I want to know more even after reading the book. It’s not a bad book, and it’s got a lot of interesting facts and history that surprised me, but it really only skims the surface, rather than giving me the in-depth information I wanted. The other issue I had with it was that it felt really disorganized--perhaps more like a series of essays than a coherent book. Each essay was interesting, but it was over too soon and as soon as I was getting into my rhythm I got yanked away and turned on to the next thing.

A book like this could have been elevated if it had had poetic and exquisitely crafted sentences, but unfortunately this book, while perfectly fine, is more taking the strategy of making the prose disappear into the background. It is at its strongest when the author is profiling the individuals who have been obsessed by eels, and at its weakest when its’ trying to take a broader historical view.

In the end, if you’re interested in reading a collection of essays about eels, you’ll like this book, but I can’t recommend it as an entry point into non fiction about the ocean when The Underworld is out there.

I received an advance copy in exchange for this honest review.

[Spudpuppy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a book about eel crime! Fuck yeah!

[Jifu · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Note: I read an advanced reader copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley)

This is a prime example of what I would consider a perfect microhistory – a book devoted to a particular animal (or food, etc.) that I have literally never given a second thought about before, which not only covers its subject in deep detail, but pulls back the curtain to reveal an entire fascinating world revolving around it that was so deeply unknown to me that it almost comes as a shock. Never could I have imagined that the mere eel had so much mystery surrounding its reproductive habits to this very day. And I most definitely never, ever could not have imagined the eel to be at the center of such a massively lucrative worldwide trade – and a trade that was so thickly rotten with illegality of all sorts, at that. Between all the information that it had to share, plus the way that author Ellen Shell’s witty writing framed it, Slippery Beast quickly proved itself to be such a deliciously informative read within that I devoured it within just a few quick days.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

cool book! contributed to a meltdown I had about my pointless life the other day because some people have dedicated their lives to unraveling the mysteries of the natural world and I mostly just commit time theft. but anyways learned some cool things about eels. how amazing that they have kept their secrets from us for so long!

[Finn Dabish · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book far more than the previous eel book i read, although i'm still left unsatisfied by the amount of information humankind possesses on eels. If anyone on here knows the guy who fund the eel research tell him to give those poor scientists more money to look into this creature. there are some truly bizarre things going on here.

[Maddie Mcphail · Rating 4 out of 5]

EELS!

[Michael F · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this so fast. Super interesting, I had never thought about eels and now I have.

[Ewan Sargent · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book taught me a lot about eels that I didn't need to know, like the semi-crime world of fishing for elvers in the United States. But I learned even more about eels that I didn't know and wanted to. Occasionally I head off in the dark across fields to secret places where I know huge eels live and feed them meat offcuts. I watch them swimming like velvet ribbons through the water in the headlamp as they gather. That was magic enough. But now I know I am looking at maybe 50+ year old females who came to my spot as tiny glass eels on the ocean currents. They travelled from the Sargasso Sea 2500km away where they were born. And now I know at some moment they will get very fatty then dissolve their stomachs never to eat again. They will glide down the river to sea and become a sea fish. Their eyes will double in size and their bodies will change to cope with crushing depths and they will move across the ocean floor back to where they were born to create a new generation. Oh,and they have been doing this since dinosaurs roamed the earth. The eels survived the ice age. Yes, yes, I've started raving a little about eels. Read the book and join me.

[Willow Pingel · Rating 4 out of 5]

North American eels are one of my favorite fish and even I had absolutely no idea how important eels have been to so many cultures around the globe, including in the U.S. This book is a great place to start learning about the history of human eel relationships, but is heavily focused on industry (both fishing and farming, surprisingly) since young eels are a highly sought after food. As you can imagine the price per pound is astronomical, like numbers that made me ask “WHAT?” Out loud multiple times while listening to this. Great information, but there were topics brought up that I wish the author would have gotten more into.

[Emma.Guy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know way too much about eels now. But somehow I also crave more eel knowledge??

[Hailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

oo la la

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a tremendous amount of information Shell shares from such a focused book. Largely about Maine eelers, we also travel the world to learn about eel research, uses, and their future. Despite all we learn, Shell makes it clear that we really don't know much of anything about eels - and that's truly remarkable.

As with much of non-fiction these days, the publishers have stooped to a subtitle that really has nothing to do with "true crime" in the sense most readers would think of it. Is there discussion of poaching and legal licensing/lawsuits? Yes. Do folks get murdered? Just the eels.

Nonetheless, this is a fascinating read for anyone who loves single-subject micro-histories - especially if you lean towards natural history.

[Hannah B · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could have been an essay rather than a book. Didn’t keep my attention and felt too long. Some interesting anecdotes but overall, don’t think I’d recommend.

This is the book version of: @this meeting could have been an email.”

[William Hogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I know from the sub-title that I should have been expecting to be exposed to some of the dark underbelly of the world of the eel--the poachers, the shady characters, the murders (at least in Haiti), involved in the eel trade.

Back in 2021 I read Patrick Svensson's 'The Book of Eels.' That is probably when I first really heard the story of the eel. It was such an incredible animal. And that book seemed incredibly positive and made me fall in love with eel, I guess you could say.

Shell's book delves so deeply into the world of the eel, with brief references to Rachel Carson's loving prose for them, and other historical figures' love for the eel. But that is not the entire story. Shell shows us the whole story. It is incredibly well-researched and must have totally dominated her life for many years, occasionally putting her in some danger with some less than upstanding characters.

This book delves deeply into this world of eeling and the consumption of eels, and morphs from a story about eels into a story of the galling greed and overconsumption (overharvesting, overfishing) committed by the human animal. I came away feeling awful about how we as a species exploit the resources of this planet, and today's political climate maybe made this hit me harder. It's difficult to feel positive about the future of the eel.

There is a glimmer of hope I suppose, but it's not for the American eel per se. It is as table fare for the wealthy humans who wish to consume them that they may continue, at least in captivity, on the planet for a while longer at least.

Shell put a ton of work into this project, and it is a book that probably mirrors most of the fishing industries in particular and the entire food processing industry in general. We all must eat, but being so far removed from the ugly 'something must die for me to enjoy this delicious entree' part of the deal, it is stunning (Yes, my great-grandfather was the hammerman at the Union Stock Yards in Chicago back in the early part of the last century).

This is a book everyone should at least be aware of if not required reading in a college course (maybe high school as well).

[Ellen Cutler · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me, Ellen Ruppel Shell is no Sy Montgomery. Or Franz de Waal. She is a solid writer, thorough in her research, and occasionally even funny. But I found "Slipper Beast: A True Crime Natural History, with Eels" a struggle to get through. And I--and for that matter my entire book group--remained unclear exactly what the "true crime" was that was going to capture our attention.

A few years back I watched the Nova program on eels, and to be honest, I didn't really learning anything in this book that I didn't learn from that documentary. What I did get the chance to discover were some of the eccentric and entertaining personalities--historic and contemporary--who are part of the scientific, commercial and ecological story. That part was good.

In the end, I think Shell did a poor job figuring out how to structure this complicated story. Like a film treatment, it started with a hook, then took of the back story, and tried to wind back around into the present, tying it all up. It didn't quite work, though. For one thing, Shell loves numbers: dates; numbers of eels in every stage of live and geographical location; the market value of a pound of eels, elvers, glass eels or whatever in any given year; and the profit margins earned and livelihoods lost. I personally got lost in all the numbers because, as it were, they just didn't add up.

There were stories I would have wanted to hear more about, especially those involving Native Americans and their traditional reliance on eels. There were bits and pieces of that, but in the end, Indigenous peoples were only an accidental part of the contemporary issue of commercial fishing rights. The building of Conowingo Dam (and I lived a few minutes from the dam for thirty years) was cited as a problem for ell migration--especially as eels related to mussels--but there was no discussion of any of the other fish adversely impacted. The whole narrative seemed a bit of a digression. Then there was the questions of poaching and generally illegality. Is this the crime part of "true crime"? If so, it was bad police work.

I'm partial to nonfiction and natural history subjects. I am not a scientist, however, and I rely on the literary expertise of the writer to keep my attention focused. I spent a lot of time out of focus.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the pond to the net, from the trunk to the fishery, from life to the dinner plate, Shell deftly hooks her reader and brings us on an incredible journey. Full of secret deals, strange truths, and difficult decisions, "Slippery Beast" is a tightly woven tapestry of stories, walking without hesitation along the line between natural history and investigative journalism.

Plainly speaking, this is a book about the threats that are faced by the American freshwater eel, like the multimillion-dollar global market in sushi ingredients. But like the Maine rivers which carry them, these stories run deep. While providing an overview of an ongoing biodiversity crisis and a tantalizing hint of the scientific complexity behind the "eel problem," Shell opens us to a manifold web of competing interests, desperate people, and communities hanging on by a thread.

I enjoyed this book immensely. Brisk and to the point, Shell's steadfast prose hides gems of language and small moments of immense beauty. However, I would have liked to hear more of the direct perspective of Maine tribal elders, which would have contributed a strong thread to Shell's apparent thesis. That being said, the interviews recorded herein are sobering and personal, and it feels like a hard-won victory when her more reticent interlocutors finally begin to open up. Well worth a considered read. Especially if you've never once asked yourself what it might be like, to see the world as the eel does.

[Allison Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a VERY random pic for a book. I’m not sure why/where I was but I didn’t have a book with me so I downloaded some to Libby and was going to try to read from my phone (which I HATE and doing ever want to do). I couldn’t figure it out and I downloaded three random books, this being one of them. One I returned early and two I actually read.

This was SHOCKINGLY interesting. I never really got into ichthyology in school, and I’ve never really given a thought to eels maybe other than Flotsam or Jetsam (iykyk). But yeah, in did not realize how MYSTERIOUS they are as far as life cycles/breeding. They don’t breed in captivity so elvies (larval stage eels) are captured and then shipped overseas to China and then raised and processed and shipped back. They didn’t even know how to tell males and females apart forever. I love mysterious critters.

The stats on wildlife smuggling and amounts of money are also staggering. I get mad when people see large populations in one area so assume everything us okay, like the scale of what humans do by wiping out whole areas of their population but thinking that’s dude because they still exist in others, not realizing sometimes that’s what tips the scale to extinction. (Example:passenger pigeons).

Anyways, weird new fascination with eels. This book reads really easy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Dani · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

One of the great mysteries of my life is that I am genuinely terrified of snakes while having a peculiar fondness for eels. (There's just something about them that's almost stupidly cute, okay?)

The 'true crime' subtitle for Slippery Beast feels a little misleading; delving into the surprisingly profitable trade — and illegal trafficking — of baby eels (elvers, or glass eels) is the hook of the book, and Shell circles back to it in the end, but I would argue that there's more of a general natural history focus overall. We get chapters on eel biology and history, cultural and culinary significance and depiction in media and the arts, and the still-ongoing quest to discover exactly how and where they procreate in the wild. Like I said, I'm an eel fan, so I didn't mind this at all; bring on the weird and wonderful eel facts!

Where the book felt less successful were the occasional chapters in which Shell profiles big-name 'eel people' involved in eel fishing and farming Maine — I just wasn't interested in their stories at all, and I think this speaks to the broader issue of organization in the book, as there's not always a clear sense of cohesion among the different chapters.

[Cassie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a weird one - a 3.75 that I can't quite get myself to bring up to a 4 on Goodreads.

The topic is REALLY interesting. Despite studying wildlife conservation, I knew basically nothing about eel conservation or trafficking, and I was excited to learn more. And there is some really interesting information in there; I enjoyed a lot of the author's interviews with various players in the conservation realm (including those that are purely money motivated). Unfortunately, it felt like the book meandered at times. Sometimes there would be a really interesting piece of information that would be mentioned and barely expanded upon, leaving me going, "Please tell me more about this!" Alas, the wish went unfulfilled. Really, the "true crime" part of this book is a bit lacking.

It's not a bad read, and it's a fun, niche topic, but it definitely could have been tightened up in some places and expanded in others.

[Katie Benoliel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though I actually only made it to page 175, I think I deserve to have this listed as "read". Although there were some really cool facts embedded in this book, overall a very hard read. I feel like the pacing and flow of the information was not well structured and I got pretty bored at parts and then I was suddenly enthralled for like 20 pages and then back to bored. Also, I had the impression that this book would be more about the true crime and black market around eel trading, but a lot of it was on the history of the science of eels (nothing wrong with that, but I felt like the title was misleading).

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before picking up this book, I knew pretty much nothing about eels. This book was interesting, illuminating, and presented a multifaceted perspective on the American eel.

However, I thought the author missed an opportunity here to turn this into a truly riveting true crime saga. It read more like your standard non-fiction book, when it could have been something much more spectacular. I believe the author should have focused on Operation Broken Glass and unfolded the mystery as the agents did, up until the big bust. I mean, a helicopter chase? Why didn’t we get to hear about that in detail?

Nonetheless, I learned a lot!

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Incredibly informative.
Focuses heavily on the eel fishing market, including the black market, and history of eel demand.

I had no idea eels were so sought after or that there were entire mafia organizations sneaking young eels across borders.
It also goes on to great length about the history surrounding the mistery of eel breeding and all the various theories that scientists had over the years.

Very enlightening, but ultimately a bit depressing as the tone is very focused on their overfishing and pushing the idea that eels may be more in danger than any one suspects.

[Kailee Kretzinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

YAY FINALLY FINISHED THE EEL BOOK!!!! I was super interested in the middle chapters of this book that were focused on eel biology and the mystery of their spawning ground. Parts of the “true crime” sections were interesting but I had to draaaag myself through some of the historical chapters and the ending. I got a great Rachel Carson book recommendation and a strong desire to eat American eel out of this book so it gets a solid 3 stars. Would not recommend this if you want to dive deep into eel biology there’s gotta be books out there that do it better.

[Drea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am trying to step out of my literary bubble which till now has been almost exclusively fiction and reading the first NF title for me in easily a decade. I was on the hook for this from the subtitle: A true crime natural history. I have never put much thought into eels and their history and am glad that I have learned something from this. Actually I learned quite a lot reading this, but my biggest take away was that these very interesting creatures are still very mysterious. It's a pretty short read and I really enjoyed it!

[Barbara Harris Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! Who would have thunk those critters could be so interesting! Although eels were served, and still are, in so many ways and restaurants in England, I was never brave enough. As a matter of fact, there is a song “eels up inside ya,” by The Mighty Boosh and that catchy little song kept popping up in my head. But truly I learned so many stories and facts that are incredible. To think that they’ve been around over 200 million years and their reproductivity is fascinating like none other!

[Jess Ratnakumar · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a very interesting book, don't get me wrong- but I often found it became a bit more background audiobook than locked in.
I would give like a 3.7 if I could!

Learning about the history of eels as well as the crazy market around them today was a treasure trove for my fun fact bank.

If you've ever been curious and love a fun fact people will have no idea why you know for parties- this is the book for you!

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This took a long time to get through. It felt long and although it was written adequately, I didn’t find it compelling. Some people are super into eels, apparently I am not one of them. I kept thinking that I would be drawn into the story, each chapter was almost a stand alone essay. And yet, none were particularly gripping, I learned some cool facts. But I would have been content with the cliff notes.

[Chad Schultz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Animal facts are always welcome. However, this could have been a podcast episode instead of a full book. Not bad but not super interesting.
Eel smuggling trade is bigger than drug trade? That makes me dubious about author's research. Wasn't able to fact check some claims.
Book's purpose is to highlight how eels are endangered and need for conservation. Noble cause.

[Sheri S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was about true crime but it's more about the history, biology and use of the eel. Much is still unknown about the eel though it is widely used in many cultures, especially Asian countries. The book chronicles the author's experience talking with many eel experts and gives account of information learned.

[Shelby]

DNF @ ~30%

I was excited to read this but I don’t think the writing is working for me. The history portions in particular feel like “this happened then that happened than this happened”. It’s not super compelling and I don’t really know where it’s leading exactly. The ‘modern’ sections where she talks about her experiences and profiles people were much better executed imo.