A new home for a real swamp monster

By Piers Fuller Just days after the most prestigious magazine on the natural world, National Geographic, were in Wairarapa filming some of the biggest eels on the planet, a couple of Masterton commercial eelers netted a monster. Mike and Andy Griffith decided to give the 13.4kg female eel a second chance and took it to Pukaha Mount Bruce to be released into the company of other huge eels. Department of Conservation biodiversity ranger Tony Silbery said the eel is "right up with the biggest that you are ever likely to see". Mike Griffith said they got a surprise when they pulled up the net and found an eel almost as long a full-grown person. "It's quite rare to find one this big. In 15 years this is the biggest I've ever seen," he said. Even though they are in the business of catching eels for the market, Mr Griffith said it is important to protect the resource. "Definitely everyone's got to do their bit to help the eel stocks. With a big eel like this it's good to let everyone come and see and learn about them." They caught the eel just south of Masterton in a swampy area. The large female eels have thousands upon thousands of eggs. At some point during their life cycle ? scientists have yet to figure out exactly when ? they head out to the Pacific Ocean and spawn, leaving the baby eels to return thousands of kilometres to where they were conceived. Very large eels are on the decline so it important to preserve them when they are found because of the high yield of eggs they contain. "The thing with the big eels is they are the ones that have the most eggs by far," Mr Silbery said. Eels will eat just about anything from worms to frogs, even ducklings and ducks. Large eels have no qualms about chowing down on smaller eels. "It doesn't pay to be a little eel when there are big eels around," he said. They have rasping teeth that latch on. "You wouldn't want to get bitten by one. They grab hold and spin. That's how they rip the meat off," he said. The females generally grow a lot larger than males and can live to be 80-90 years old.