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Freshwater Fish of Victoria: Eels | FN0054 |
Fisheries Victoria, Melbourne
Updated: March 2007
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Common Name:
Short-finned Eel
Other Names:
Silver eel, yellow eel
Family:
Anguillidae
Scientific Name:
Anguilla australis Richardson, 1841
Status:
Native | |
Description
Long, tubular body with dorsal, tail and anal fins forming one fin. Small gill opening on each side of the head. Large mouth extending to below the small eye. vertical gill openings. Dorsal fin begins just forward of the anal fin. Back and sides may be olive-green or vary from pale green to olive-brown, sometimes with coppery tints above and silvery sides. Belly is greyish to silvery-white. Fin colour is dark like the back.
Distribution
Common and widespread in Victoria south of the Great Dividing Range, occurring occasionally in northern streams draining into the Murray River.
Habitat
Prefers low-lying swampy streams and lagoons. Although it occurs in a wide variety of habitats it is essentially a still-water species. Common in many southern Victorian lakes. Studies of tagged eels indicate that maturing adults in fresh water establish home ranges of about 400 m.
Brief Biology
Known to occur in Victoria to 1.1 m and 6.8 kg, but is usually smaller. Appears to go into hibernation if water temperature falls below 10°C. Hibernating or otherwise there are records of eels going without food for up to 10 months. Opportunistic omnivore although it is primarily carnivorous.
Adult eels are known to take fish of various types, worms, insects, small crustaceans, molluscs and water plants. Feeding appears to follow a seasonal pattern, being most intense at night in shoreline shallows during spring and summer. Mature migrating adults vary from 6 to 24 years of age, spending up to 14 years in fresh water.
Spends most of its life cycle in fresh water and migrates downstream to spawn at sea when sexually mature.
Easily taken on a baited hook, providing good angling. Taken commercially in fyke nets, mainly at night, Flesh is good eating, particularly if smoked. Eels form the basis for a small but lucrative export industry, with annual catches up to 200 tonnes, with short-finned eels accounting for 95% of the catch.
Common Name:
Long-finned Eel
Other Names:
Spotted eel, "Conger eel" (wrongly)
Family:
Anguillidae
Scientific Name:
Anguilla reinhardtii Steindachner, 1867
Status:
Native | |
Description
Long, tubular body with dorsal, tail and anal fins forming one fin. Small gill opening on each side of the head. Broad head with thick fleshy lips. Large mouth extending back behind the eye. Dorsal fin starts well ahead of the anal fin. Colour of sides and back varies from olive-green to brownish with distinct blotching or mottling. Sides and belly are paler. When migrating seaward adults lose their spots and become bright silver.
Distribution
Common and widespread in eastern Victoria, south of the Great Dividing Range, east from Wilsons Promontory. Very rarely seen in other areas of Victoria.
Habitat
Although known to occur in a variety of habitats, it is reported to occur more often in rivers than in still waters.
Brief Biology
Reported to attain 2 m in length and more than 16 kg in weight. Generally individuals are much smaller, although lengths to 1 m are common. Principally carnivorous although some plant material is eaten. Large adults take a variety of prey ranging from insects to fish, although fish appear to be the main component of the diet. Individual food items may be quite large, including one observation of a freshwater catfish of 1 kg being attacked. Feeding patterns follow the seasons, feeding is most intense at night during spring and summer. Upstream migrations of glass eels occur from January to May. Spends most of its life cycle in fresh water and migrates downstream to spawn at sea when sexually mature.
Other Notes
Good angling fish because of its size, the long-finned eel is taken easily at night on baited hooks. Less commercially important than the short-finned eel.
Further Notes
(Both Species) Full details of the life cycle of Australian eels are still not fully understood. Both eels are believed to spawn in the Coral Sea near New Caledonia. The transparent larvae (known as leptocephali) may spend 2 to 3 years at sea being transported southwards by the East Australian Current. They then change into glass eels (no pigmentation), lose their teeth, cease feeding for a period and move into estuarine areas.
Movement into fresh water is accompanied by increased size and rapid colouring, and they are now known as elvers. Upstream migration appears to be in response to a number of factors including falling salinity and rising water temperatures. Upstream migrations in Victoria occur from May in the east to October in the west. Migration usually occurs at night, the young eels remaining close to the banks and avoiding fast flowing water.
Groups of elvers frequently attract attention when they congregate at stream barriers such as weirs, dams or waterfalls. Many individuals overcome major barriers such as high, vertical, concrete, dam walls by climbing, adhering to the damp surfaces by friction and surface tension and undulating their bodies to move forward. Eels can travel across damp ground.
Regulations
The Fishing Regulations specify Recreational Fishing Licence requirements and the means by which the angler may take eels. Details of licensing requirements and fishing regulations are provided in the Victorian Recreational Fishing Guide available free of charge from DPI Offices and RFL sales agents.
Further Reading
Freshwater Fish of Victoria is a series of brief information material on the native and introduced freshwater fish of Victoria's inland waters. Further, detailed reading on Eels is contained in:
- A Guide to the Freshwater Fish of Victoria, Phillip Cadwallader & Gary Backhouse, Department of Conservation and Environment
- Australian Freshwater Fishes, John R. Merrick & Gunther E. Schmida
- Biological Information for Management of Native Freshwater Fish in Victoria, J D Koehn, W G O'Connor
Acknowledgements
This Information Note was developed by Charles Barnham PSM, with the assistance of Gary Backhouse, Phillip Cadwallader and Tarmo Raadik. The previous version was published in April 1998.
The advice provided in this publication is intended as a source of information only. Always read the label before using any of the products mentioned. The State of Victoria and its employees do not guarantee that the publication is without flaw of any kind or is wholly appropriate for your particular purposes and therefore disclaims all liability for any error, loss or other consequence which may arise from you relying on any information in this publication.
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