Millions of Eels Saved

By MAETZIG, Rob

MILLIONS of eels are being given the chance to grow to maturity thanks to the success of a unique Taranaki initiative.

Young eels — known as elvers — which each summer attempt to migrate up the Patea River, gather in huge numbers at the base of the Patea dam.

Normally most would be unable to migrate any further, because they can’t swim up a pipe-like “elver pass” that extends to the top of the giant dam.

But for the past six years, locals have been trapping the elvers and manually transferring them to Lake Rotorangi, the hydro lake behind the Patea Dam.

In that time they estimate they have moved four million fish, sometimes as many as 40,000 a day.

Taranaki Regional Council director of environmental quality Gary Bedford described the results as fantastic.

The transfer system was originally thought up by commercial eel fisherman Grant Williams.

Now some of the elvers, shrimp and other fish are being taken further upstream to the top of Lake Rotorangi and to tributaries of the Patea River.

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(c) 2007 Daily News; New Plymouth, New Zealand. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.