Look at that 4 Es in a row.
Behind our garage we have a small pond, and in the 25 years we have lived here it has allways had at least one eel, usually more. Last year I thought we only had one, and I trained it to come for food by 5 taps on the dam wall, it would take fish bits from my hand and was not upset if I held it gently under the water. Towards the end of summer it dissapeared, but was found dead 10m from the dam in the neighbours field somewhat dried out, but still 750mm long and very fat. A mystery.
Our neighbours son put two 300mm eels in the pond 6 months ago, but one died late last year.
We have had a very dry summer so far, and the pond had shrunk to a bit of water and a lot of mud, so I siphoned off the water into the neighbours new pond, and started digging out the mud from a hard clay base. I last did this about 10 years ago, and found 5 small eels then.
I soon found two 80mm eels and a hole in the mud where the survivor of the 2 we put in was.
About a hundred barrows of mud later over 5 days, job done, now all I need is some water, though I put the 2 captives back in a puddle of water from some rain we had.
The eels are NZ short fin eels, as distinct from the long fin eels usually found in clear mountain rivers, both species travel to the Tonga trench to breed, the short fin at 20 t0 40 years old and the longfin up to 100 years old.
The 2 small eels must have travelled up an overgrown ditch that only has water for 6 months a year, then over the dam as the overflow is a hanging pipe.
Both species are commercially fished, but not as much now as when we arrived here 45 years ago, when you know their life history, it is a wonder they survive at all.
The mud will be used to replenish gardens over the years.
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