Fisherman sick of seeing ‘minced’ eels

Large numbers of eels are being minced up in the turbines of Kara¯ piro Dam every year as they attempt to make it back downstream to spawn.

That’s after eels have been transferred from the bottom to the top of the dam, supporting commercial eeling in the lake.

Recreational fisherman Erin Tindale, who throws out lines below the dam, has had enough of seeing the sad and gruesome sight of dead eels floating down the river.

‘‘Elvers [juvenile eels], equivalent to the size of a garden worm with fins, swim around 3000km from the Pacific Islands, to come to New Zealand where their parents originate,’’ Tindale said.

‘‘Two million elvers are transferred above several of the Waikato hydro dams, not just Kara¯ piro, every year.’’

He said there are only two outcomes for the ‘‘little champions’’ – getting caught by commercial eelers, or meeting their end in the turbines.

‘‘Yes, habitat is limited and maybe it is sustainable to commercially fish eels, but the survivors deserve the right to spawn,’’ Tindale said.

Mercury, the power company in charge of the dam, say eel mortality has been reported in the past, and Waikato Regional Council has been notified to try to determine the cause.

‘‘We haven’t been aware of any recent incidents, and nothing has been brought to our attention,’’ spokesperson Craig Dowling said.

Dowling added that commercial eel fishers transfer the elvers from Kara¯ piro into select hydro lakes as permitted by the Ministry of Primary Industries.

‘‘This is in accordance with the resource consent conditions,’’ he said. ‘‘The fishers also transfer any eels caught that are above the catchable weights, or less than 4kg above Kara¯ piro, back into the Waikato River well below the hydro stations.’’

But Tindale said his finding suggested otherwise.

Dr Adam Daniel, Fish and

Erin Tindale is concerned at eels being minced up in the turbines at Kara¯ piro Dam, the gruesome remains of which he comes across when he is fishing below the dam.