On Friday 16 May 2025 we celebrated eels, their unique biology and their importance in ecosystems.
Marlborough District Council Environmental Scientist – Freshwater Ecosystems India Hamill shared some cool eel facts below to celebrate this species' special day.
Did you know?
- There are two different types of eel native to New Zealand - the Longfin and the Shortfin.
- Longfin eels can live to be 100 years old and are one of the largest eel species in the world.
- Shortfin eels can live to 60 years old.
- Eels can travel overland for up to two days by breathing through their skin.
- When eels are ready to migrate, their bodies change shape – their fins and eyes get bigger, and their heads become flatter and more bullet like.
- Eels migrate from New Zealand to spawn off the coast of Tonga. Once they spawn, they die.
- Longfin eels have baggy skin that resembles big wrinkles when they bend.
Unfortunately the conservation status of the Longfin eel is 'at risk – declining'.
This means the work being done to restore the mauri of Te Hoiere is critical for the conservation of these incredible creatures otherwise they may not be in our rivers for the longer term.
Here's to the humble yet quite extraordinary New Zealand Longfin and Shortfin eel on this, their special day
