THE ELUSIVE EEL.

Otago Witness, Issue 3500, 12 April 1921, Page 5

THE ELUSIVE EEL.

The lion. G. M. Thomson, M.L.0., deals succinctly with the spawn life of the eel as follows :—- There are two species of eels in N.Z., Anguilla Aucklandii and A. Australis. No one has ever reported finding either roes or milt in our fresh-water eels, whether the fish were large or small. If they spawned either in mud-flats, lakes or streams, tile reproductive organs would bo found, and we ought to know by this time at what season of the year they develop. The Leptocephalus stage of the eels is known in N.Z. ; I have picked them up myself on the Brighton Beach, but like other pelagic deep-sea organisms they only come ashore when there are spells of calm weather; I have only met with them, in winter. The life-history of European eels has (been fairly fully followed out, and there is no doubt whatever that they go to sea and breed at great depths. Our N.Z. eels are closely allied to the European species of Anguilla. In the (absence of any information whatever as to their breeding habits, the probabilities are that they are somewhat similar to those of eels of the Northern Hemisphere. It does not matter what we think or imagine about these things. Until the points referred to in paragraphs 2 and 3 are settled, we must he content to wait and to adopt the agnostic attitude.