Człowiek-węgorz z Hancock

Ray "The Eel Man" Turner looks upstream and checks the status of the weir and its wall. The 900 stones when paired with the natural power of the river...

The afternoon sun falls over a map of the East Branch Delaware River in the Catskill Mountains in New York. The map displays the weir operated by Ray...

A bucket holds several dozen eels at Turner's smoke shop in Hancock, New York. A natural mucus, due to fear, coats the eels as they are transported to...

Hand-painted signs are placed along Rhodes Road, a dirt path that runs parallel to the East Branch Delaware River. Travelers follow this road in searc...

Ray "The Eel Man" Turner cuts and packages smoked eel at his smoke shop on the outskirts of Hancock, New York during one of the worst eel harvests in...

Ray "The Eel Man" Turner shows off one of the many tags issued to him over the years. These tags were given yearly by the NYS to be displayed on the w...

Ray "The Eel Man" Turner cleans the weir’s lattice panels of dead foliage and elodea. Over time this mix of the two creates a mortar-type compound tha...

Amongst a variety of goods from local businesses in the area and news clippings sits a painting of an American Eel on a shelf in the shop.

Under the dim light in his office, Turner reviews the shop's inventory before closing its door for the day. On this particular Friday, he sold the las...

The rush of water from the East Branch Delaware River flows through Turner’s eel weir lattice panels. The weir has caught hundreds of eels on the rive...

Air-sealed packages of smoked eel being weighed and sold to a customer from Maryland at Turner's smoke shop in Hancock, New York.

Turner tends to a customer from Pennsylvania at his shop in the Catskill Mountains. When asked if he had a business card Turner says jokingly “People...

A view of a hand-painted sign for Delaware Delicacies and a sign that reads "NO DRILL, NO SPILL" greet customers seeking smoked eel at the entrance to...

Turner empties the holding tank of 60 eels, a low number during this time of year. After bagging, and boxing the eels are placed into a freezer to hel...

“Have you ever met someone that swam in the Pacific and the Atlantic Ocean on the same day?” “Well, you do now!” Turner said chuckling as he told sto...

Turner prepares the final two smoked eels, from the season's low harvest, to sell at his smoke shop “Delaware Delicacies”.

Worn and sunbleached photographs showing moments on the weir over the years hang proudly in the entryway of Turner’s smoke shop.

Ray "The Eel Man" Turner outside his home on the outskirts of Hancock, New York in the Catskill Mountains.

Waters from the East Branch Delaware River flow through the lattice panels of Turner’s eel weir box. The river's force pushes the eel over the lattice...

Ray "The Eel Man" Turner, right, and Ben Rinker, left, pose for a portrait on the weir, as waters from the East Branch Delaware River flow through the...

Photographs displaying "Eel Ray" over the years building his weir, cooking, and fishing, hang at the entrance of his smoke shop.

In a holding pen next to the smoker of Turners’s shop live several eels caught during the first week of this year's harvest, with some ages ranging fr...

Under the high midday sun, Turner uses a large net to scoop eels from a holding tank used to house recently caught eels in his weir. Once caught, the...

Smoked eel is what Turner's Delaware Delicacies Smoke Shop is renowned for. Along with eel, his shop also sells a variety of smoked items such as salm...

Ray "The Eel Man" Turner, right, and Ben Rinker, left, pose for a portrait on the weir, as waters from the East Branch Delaware River flow through the...