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Eels are beautiful fish, though some may disagree. But one fact that no one can debate is that they are living in our rivers. So it is time to get clued up about these fascinating creatures living in our rivers.
There are two main types of eels in New Zealand: Long fin and short fin. You can tell the difference by looking at their fins along their belly and back. It is a short fin if the top and bottom fins line up, and longfin if the top one is longer.
Eels live in any waterway, but usually in rivers a reasonable distance from the coast. To get there, they have to swim. Sometimes there will be obstacles in the way, such as dams and waterfalls. So instead of giving up, they climb up! Eels are able to climb waterfalls of around 20 metres. Eels are born in tropical areas, about 5000 km north of New Zealand. When they are born they are called larvae. They look nothing like a typical eel shape, instead they are around 1mm long, flat, transparent, and take the shape of a leaf. During this time they float on ocean currents to make the journey back to New Zealand. During this time they grow a more eel appearance, though they are still known as ‘glass eels’ due to their transparency at this stage. They enter freshwater between July and November each year. Here they will find a river to call home, as they swim upstream to find the perfect spot. Here they will live out most of their life, growing up to 2 metres in length. If a male, they will leave home at 23 years old, and females leave home a little later at 34 years old. Here they will make the journey back to their birth place, never returning to their home as they will die after spawning. When spawning, a female will lay millions of eggs, which are then fertilised by a male. This takes place somewhere in a deep ocean trench near Tonga.
If you would like to find out more about the amazing life of an eel, follow this link to watch an episode of “Meet the Locals”.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/ondemand
/meet-the-locals/null/series-s200
7-episode-series-1-episode-16
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