THE WANDERING EEL

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 74, Issue 110, 12 May 1931, Page 6

THE WANDERING EEL

THREE YEARS’ TRAVELLING AN ADDRESS TO ROTARIANS “There has been more argument oveP the breeding ground of the eel than any other animal,” said Air T. W. Downes when addressing the Wanganui Rotary Club at their weekly luncheon yesterday. Great interest was shown by the members in the subject of eels and in drawings that Mr Downes had brought with him to illustrate the “slippery one.” Until recently very little was known of the eel, said the speaker, but studies were now being made concerning its habits. Eels changed their form twice in their lifetime, bred in the semi-tro-pical countries and then in the case of at least one species drifted with the currents over the floor of the ocean sometimes three and even five thousand miles. They came over mountain tops of the ocean, down into the valleys and through forests of coral. They had a wonderful sense of direction. When tho Northern Hemisphere eels reached their European home they were about three years old and it may be presumed that the New Zealand species wore about the same age. They stayed in this country for another six years before they started on their long journey back to* the breeding grounds. They required a certain temperature of water and they bred at a depth of 1500 fathoms. The eels were not to be found in all countries of the w'orld and the fact that they were found only in certain places led to the belief that they; were distributed by currents in the larvae stage. Temperate zone eels were not known in parts of Australia and were little known in Africa, India, the west coast of America and the east coast of Houth America. There were two species of eel in New Zealand, the anguilla aucklandi and the anguilla australia and the chief difference was to be found in their shape. One species grew a fin which started half way down the back and grew to the tail and back up the stomach, while the other had a fin which started a little way behind the head. When the eels reached New Zealand they were about two inches long and wore quite transparent; when they had been in this country for about two weeks they; changed colour, which was caused by a pigment in the water. .At this stage the eel was called an elver and it worked its way up the streams and was not easily deterred by obstacles. In fact, said the speaker, it often chose the harder course, ami in the Wanganui River at the Ohau Fall there was an instance of the eel climbing up a waterfall instead of taking an easier coursf. by following a tributary. They climbed apparently by suction and were to be seen going up iu hundreds. A strange thing about the eels was that they seemed to have some means of communicating with one another and travelling in shoals they would often send “scouts” out and then follow their directions. They also had a keen sens® of smell and the speaker said that on one occasion he had seen eels swarming? round the blood of an animal which, had been cast in the water but a min*j ute or two before. 1 Whether eels attacked trout or not}. Air Downes said he did not know, and, he had never seen a trout taken fromty the inside of an cel. He considered that the biggest enemy of trout werW the shags and he ami a friend had one® found a shag with a trout wedged i® its throat. Having"reached their full age thd eels received a “call” to the ocean tt», return to the breeding grounds; during? April and May thev swarmed down tho rivers in shoals. The first shoal could, be expected during the first freshlet after April I. During the weeks before the eel was ready to return hit whole body underwent a change. Th® eve became three times larger, whil® the head became finer or sharper and (lie skin doubled its thickness. Th® eel ceased eating and accumulated vast deposits of fat. All these changes was evidence of the rigours of the travel to the spawning ground and the mazes of intricate matter with which it would have to contend. When the eels wer® first found in this condition they were thought to be a new species. The Maoris knew exactly the dny io i expect the fish when they started mi*l ’ gratiou fnd built fences to decoy them and to lead them to the eel nets which., the speaker illustrated with drawingAs ’h l , fish always chose tho swiftest and deepest portions of the river for travol’Jnj, it va. marvellous how th® nativ’S were able- to build the •• ncosw On i*,i 'tcluHon nt’ lis address Afr Down's was ree< ■ ' 1 a hearty ■ r thanks.