The eel deal
Eels or “silver bellies” migrate to the ocean to spawn and then die. The larval eels are transported back to New Zealand by ocean currents, which can take around 18 months. They then change into glass eels after which they migrate up our streams and rivers to grow. When fully mature they migrate to spawn and die and thus the life cycle continues.
The life cycle of New Zealand freshwater eels is identical to all other anguillids in having five principal stages, which are the leptocephalus to glass eel, elver, yellow and then to the silver eel stage.
It is believed that, like the leptocephali of other temperate eels such as the European eel A.anguilla, the American eel A. rostrata and Japanese eel A. japonica, leptocephali of New Zealand freshwater eels drift with oceanic currents from their open ocean spawning grounds to their growth habitats on the various South Pacific land masses.
The leptocephali of all these species presumably leave oceanic currents after metamorphosing into glass eels, and then typically migrate upstream as elvers to grow in freshwater habitats during the yellow stage. At ages that vary widely among individuals of both sexes, the yellow eels metamorphose into silver eels, which migrate downstream to the ocean to begin the journey to their offshore spawning areas.
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Tiakina ngā rawa hi ika, a tātou kaimoana mo ngā uri whakaheke
Protecting Māori fisheries assets for future generations