Comments on: Electricity May Supplant Nets in Taking Fish (Mar, 1931) http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2008/07/15/electricity-may-supplant-nets-in-taking-fish/ Yesterday's tomorrow, today. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:07:04 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.4 By: rick http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2008/07/15/electricity-may-supplant-nets-in-taking-fish/comment-page-1/#comment-1065726 rick Thu, 12 Feb 2009 18:49:29 +0000 http://blog.modernmechanix.com/?p=4781#comment-1065726 Jim, Email me at rsegedi@gmail.com. Rick Jim,

Email me at rsegedi@gmail.com.

Rick

]]> By: Jim http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2008/07/15/electricity-may-supplant-nets-in-taking-fish/comment-page-1/#comment-1065721 Jim Thu, 12 Feb 2009 16:34:49 +0000 http://blog.modernmechanix.com/?p=4781#comment-1065721 Rick - I have been looking to get ahold of you with regard to the electric eel and its capabilities. I wanted to build an exhibit like the one you did at the Pitt Aqua Zoo. Can you tell me how I go about it? Rick – I have been looking to get ahold of you with regard to the electric eel and its capabilities.
I wanted to build an exhibit like the one you did at the Pitt Aqua Zoo.
Can you tell me how I go about it?

]]> By: Rick Segedi http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2008/07/15/electricity-may-supplant-nets-in-taking-fish/comment-page-1/#comment-1058332 Rick Segedi Thu, 17 Jul 2008 18:49:00 +0000 http://blog.modernmechanix.com/?p=4781#comment-1058332 jayessell That's correct. They do shock themselves as well as their prey and attackers. However sensitive organs and systems such as the brain, heart and nerves are heavily insulated. The heart is even mounted in such a way that it is sideways to the path of the current rather than lengthways to it as it would be in other animals. Presumably this somehow reduces the risk of damage from the current. By the way, even though they look eel-like they are really part of a rather large group of fishes known as knife fishes, all of which discharge electric currents into the water, mostly for orientation and for locating objects. The electric eel is the largest and most powerful of this group and is said to be able to discharge pulses of about 1000 volts at one ampere. The most I've ever measured, however, was 600 volts at a little over a quarter of an amp and that was from a four foot specimen. The same one that knocked me on my a** once ;-) jayessell
That’s correct. They do shock themselves as well as their prey and attackers. However sensitive organs and systems such as the brain, heart and nerves are heavily insulated. The heart is even mounted in such a way that it is sideways to the path of the current rather than lengthways to it as it would be in other animals. Presumably this somehow reduces the risk of damage from the current. By the way, even though they look eel-like they are really part of a rather large group of fishes known as knife fishes, all of which discharge electric currents into the water, mostly for orientation and for locating objects. The electric eel is the largest and most powerful of this group and is said to be able to discharge pulses of about 1000 volts at one ampere. The most I’ve ever measured, however, was 600 volts at a little over a quarter of an amp and that was from a four foot specimen. The same one that knocked me on my a** once ;-)

]]> By: jayessell http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2008/07/15/electricity-may-supplant-nets-in-taking-fish/comment-page-1/#comment-1058325 jayessell Thu, 17 Jul 2008 17:06:56 +0000 http://blog.modernmechanix.com/?p=4781#comment-1058325 Rick... I saw something on TV that said that dispite the eel's insulated brain, it still shocks itself when it discharges. F*** the glow in the dark mice, we need electric Pine trees! Rick…
I saw something on TV that said that dispite the eel’s insulated brain, it still shocks itself when it discharges.
F*** the glow in the dark mice, we need electric Pine trees!

]]> By: Rick Segedi http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2008/07/15/electricity-may-supplant-nets-in-taking-fish/comment-page-1/#comment-1058265 Rick Segedi Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:49:24 +0000 http://blog.modernmechanix.com/?p=4781#comment-1058265 The current path in this drawing looks remarkably like that of the electric field generated by the Amazonian fish Electrophorus electricus, otherwise known as the electric eel. In fact that's the way they stun their prey. I've worked with those babies and have gotten a few shocks from them myself. The current path in this drawing looks remarkably like that of the electric field generated by the Amazonian fish Electrophorus electricus, otherwise known as the electric eel. In fact that’s the way they stun their prey. I’ve worked with those babies and have gotten a few shocks from them myself.

]]> By: Anne http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2008/07/15/electricity-may-supplant-nets-in-taking-fish/comment-page-1/#comment-1058241 Anne Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:21:04 +0000 http://blog.modernmechanix.com/?p=4781#comment-1058241 This sort of thing is illegal these days, isn't it? This sort of thing is illegal these days, isn’t it?

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