Lion protects New Plymouth’s eels
After seeing a story about New Plymouth’s beloved inner city eels being stomped on, a Taranaki Lion has made it her mission to get them protected.
Lisa Abraham, who is in her second term as president of the Koru Lions’ Club, works in the centre of the city in the Kings Building, which overlooks Huatoki Stream where the tame eels live.
She feeds them most morning tea and lunch times with cooked chicken or Jimbos Pet Food and wants to see them protected before her presidency ends in July.
From just a handful of the fish five years ago, it is now not uncommon to see dozens swimming in a group, with many lifting their heads out of the water to take food straight from people’s hands.
But when Abraham read a recent Daily News report of a group of people scooping the eels out of the water and standing on them, she was heartbroken.
‘‘I went to the police station immediately and wanted to know what action was taken.
‘‘They’re like pets to the city. They are our taonga, they’re treasures.’’
Abraham took to the Neighbourly website to see what other New Plymouth residents thought about making the eels protected.
Close to 50 people replied in agreement, suggesting putting in warning signs, CCTV, a barrier, and changing the law to protect them.
Abraham said she’d like to see educational signage about the eels put up around Huatoki Plaza, and is considering using her limited Lions’ budget to create it.
‘‘The majority of the eels in this area are long finned so they are a threatened species. They are a wonderful attraction for our community and need to be looked after.’’
Who exactly has the task of protecting them, however, remains unclear. Department of Conservation (DOC) freshwater manager Natasha Grainger said it’s up to the landowner.
‘‘Eels are not protected and are managed under the Fisheries Act. People fishing for eels need to have the permission of the landowner to fish. The land owner can restrict access and therefore prevent fishing. In this case, the landowner is New Plymouth District Council.’’
NPDC confirmed it was the landowner and said it would continue to work with DOC and the Taranaki Regional Council (TRC) to educate people on the importance of healthy streams and biodiversity.
‘‘We wouldn’t expect any fishing in an urban stream as there are so many other great fishing spots along our rivers, streams and coast but if there was an issue with fishing at the plaza, we could review how fishers get access to the stream,’’ NPDC customer and regulatory solutions manager Katrina Brunton said in a statement.
The TRC is responsible for the protection of natural habitat and fish passage for native fish, including eels, but say they are not responsible for the protection of individual eels.