Crossword Genius

It swims with the current (8,3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

electric eel

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'it swims with' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.

'current' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'current' could be 'electric' (synonyms) and 'electric' is found within the answer.
The remaining letters 'eel' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'the' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for electric eel that I've seen before include "Shocking fish" , "shocker" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.
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