The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Dingle boat lands deadly moray eel
A MORAY eel that was caught off the Tiaracht by a Dingle lobster boat on Friday is possibly only the second such catch in Irish waters and it is being seen as an indication of the increasing impact of climate change.
The 1-metre eel was caught in a lobster pot by Peter Hand and his crew on board the Sea Biscuit and identified as soon as it was hauled out of the water by Peter’s brother in law András Adám, who had learned about moray eels on Discovery Channel.
That identification might well have saved the crew from being seriously injured because moray eels can be extremely aggressive and have a powerful and sometimes venomous bite.
Peter said they put the eel into a fishbox and it presented a frightening sight, rising up like a snake and snapping at anybody who went near it.
The crew hosed down the eel in the hope of being able to present it alive to marine life expert Kevin Flannery but it was dead by the time they got back to Dingle.
Kevin Flannery told The Kerryman this was only the second moray eel he had seen landed by a fishing boat in Ireland and he wasn’t aware of any other recorded catches. The previous catch was in 1997 when a moray eel was landed in Kilmore Quay.
Kevin believes the increasing number of warm-water fish turning up along the Irish coast is definite evidence of the impact of climate change. “Even a few years ago you’d say southern fish in our waters might or might not be evidence of climate change but now there’s so many of them are coming in that there can no doubt about it,” he said.
Meanwhile, a young minke whale, measuring about 7m, that washed up dead on Bín Bán strand on Friday may have died after becoming entangled in rope or fishing nets.
Head Aquarist with Dingle Oceanworld Louise Overy said marks on the whale’s tail could have been caused by ropes but tissue samples from the whale will be analysed to determine why it died.