Smoked Eels Going Abroad

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31114, 18 July 1966, Page 1

Smoked Eels Going Abroad

< ,(N.Z. Press Association-) INVERCARGILL, July 17. About 20 tons of smoked eels have been sent abroad from Southland in the last 12 months by Mossburn Enterprises, Ltd., and the firm is also probing the market for canned eel. The manager, Mr B. Vanderdrift, was previously in the eel business in Holland, as were his father and grandfather. He came to New Zealand after hearing of eels here. Waikato Ventures, Ltd., at

Ngaruawahia, has been exporting partly-prepared, frozen eels to three European countries, is buying extra plant, expects to employ 20 to 30 people in its processing factory and, by the end of the year, hopes its exports will reach 200 tons. New equipment is also being added to Mossburn Enterprises plant. The latest, a blast-freezing unit made in Dunedin, was being tested yesterday. The firm has £lO,OOO to £15,000 worth of equipment, as well as boats and other facilities. Mr Vanderdrift said supplies of eels, mainy trial orders, had been sent by Mossburn Enterprises to the United States, England,

France, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Sweden and Germany. The firm had done some canning and a few dozen cans of smoked eel sent to Holland had brought good replies. . . Housewives in Europe would pay 14s to 18s a lb for eels, said Mr Vanderdrift. But there were no overnight fortunes to be made. Suppliers in New Zealand might obtain only 2s per lb. Any eels could be suitable. “The colour of the eel has nothing to do with it As long as . the. eels are sexually SS'wWWX'K been dealing in eels for 25 years. The firm’s employees could

catch all the eels he needed just now. “Why don’t more people here eat eels? Because they’re not educated to them. “I didn’t eat oysters when first I saw them. I eat them now. It’s been the same with crayfish,” said Mr Vanderdrift. Prospects abroad seemed good. One customer would like to have up to 100 tons of eel a year.