This is the Eel that lives down in my garden. Normally they are very shy and nocturnal, but this one has been fed for years by the next door neighbour, so it comes out when it hears footsteps :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaxvsT42hik
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8O9YWldaiBQ
Cheers
Ian
Ian,
That's really cool. Is that little stream connected to saltwater? I didn't think that Moray eels lived in freshwater. Interesting animals. Did you see that cat react when the eel was moving back towards you? Yikes! Thanks for sharing. It's like a mini vacation. :)
LOGDOG
Yeah I was surprised to see such a big fish in such a little stream. The river eels here stayed in deep water and larger rivers were the water is murky and dark. They swam with the salmon because they would end up in the salmon traps and be transported by the fisheries department from Fredericton to areas above the hydro dams. The river eels never preyed on the big salmon, but maybe the par or smolt sized salmon. Well at least they never bothered the salmon in the tank truck. They used to let us climb up on the truck so see the fish in the tank before releasing them in the river.
These are freshwater eels, although they swim out to sea to breed. They actually swim out into the Pacific Ocean and spawn someplace near Tonga - 3,000 miles away, then die. :o Then the baby eels drift / swim back and are about 2" long when they come back up the rivers.
We would be 30+ miles upstream from the sea, and above a hydo dam. Although the dam has fish ladders they actually uses a truck to transport the various migrating fish up and down the dam. Adults heading downstream, youngsters heading up.
Cheers
Ian
Yeah they breed out at sea here too, in the south Atlantic. But our lamprey breed in fresh water and die like Pacific salmon. Our salmon and other fish are on their own coming down. We only have one dam with a fish way and the rest have fish ladders or nothing. I always figure those turbines and spill ways are like meat grinders for the fish. ::)
Iain, that does NOT look a happy cat!
Nice eel, though, great on the barbie!
asy :D
Quote from: asy on December 07, 2007, 10:35:20 PM
Iain, that does NOT look a happy cat!
Nice eel, though, great on the barbie!
asy :D
Are you serious asy? What does eel taste like?
LOGDOG
The natives and others eat it here LOGDOG. There is a reserve they call 'The eel ground' at the mouth of the NW Miramichi R. ;D
Quote from: LOGDOG on December 08, 2007, 07:44:14 AM
Are you serious asy? What does eel taste like?
Yup, tastes just like chicken!
Nah, seriously, it's actually very much like mackerel or other strong fish. You can eat it bbq'd or smoked is good, too.
asy :D
Our tidal creeks have eels. They are a species of round eel that is popular in Europe and sometimes we get a fisherman that set traps for them when they are in the creeks. I tried to eat one and couldn't do it. I got it skinned and steaked out, as I was told, and got the grease hot in the pan, but just couldn't go any further. Everytime I started to cook a piece, I pictured that wiggley slimey thing tieing knots in my fishing line as it writhed on the hook. The cat got it.
My grandfather couldn't even touch them. Gave him the willies. :D
Yup, Eels is good eating, albiet messy to prepare. Very slimey after you catch them.
They were an important food for the native Moari people in the pre european days (and to some extent still are). NZ had no native land mammels, so eels were about the biggest edible thing there was ;)
Cheers
Ian
Quote from: Ianab on December 08, 2007, 04:21:02 PM
NZ had no native land mammels, so eels were about the biggest edible thing there was ;)
Cheers
Ian
That is something I was not aware of. Interesting.
I have no idea what kind of eel I ate in Denmark, my aunt fried it up and it was excellent. My uncle and I had caught it earlier in the day. You cannot imagine how difficult they are to hang onto!
Quote from: sawdust on February 16, 2008, 11:40:09 PMYou cannot imagine how difficult they are to hang onto!
Or PEEL!!!
asy :D
Ian hasn't gotten hungry enough yet. ;D :D
Still have our Eel, or another one has move. Not sure, but it's a monster now, and seems to be the only one around (probably chases off any interlopers)
NZ freshwater eel. - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AemLVOLYqbc)
Bird you can hear in the background is a tiny native songbird called a Grey Warbler. They only weigh about 1/5 ounce, but make a lot of noise for their size. Didn't get it's picture, too small and fast.
Grey warbler | New Zealand Birds Online (http://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/grey-warbler)
Are they good to eat? Texas, you know. ;D
OK, sorry, just read previous posts.
Kinda reminds me of a returning seal down at the aquarium at St Andrews. It was wild and returned every summer. They had a place inside it would swim into. Kinda like a beaver lodge, only a seal lodge. :D
I hear the same bird in both videos too. Popular around there or does he travel with the eel? ;D