By Stacey Bodger
ROTORUA - The release of about 50,000 baby eels into the Rangitaiki River south of Whakatane was one of a series of small victories for a trust working to save river life in the Bay of Plenty.
Eel fanatics Bill Kerrison and Frank Mitai have been working since 1989 on a Kokopu Trust project to aid the migratory path of native short and long-finned eels.
The Rangitaiki, which runs from south of Taupo out to the east coast near Whakatane, attracts thousands of the eels commonly known as anquilla australis along a migratory path from the Pacific Ocean.
The eels enter the river as small, clear elvers, which are often mistaken for whitebait, and develop into eels over about three months as they travel upstream.
But their path is blocked by hydroelectric dams at Matahina, Aniwhenua and Wheao.
Although eel passes were installed at each dam, smaller eels find it hard to climb them and without the efforts of the trust they would die after being trapped at the base of the dams with depleting food stocks.
For the past 11 years, the trust has trapped eels using warm water generated by the dams to attract them into holding pens.
Mr Kerrison and his team, who work alongside the Department of Conservation, transfer the eels into oxygenated holding tanks for up to four days before releasing them into tributaries along the Rangitaiki.
There, they grow up to 1.5m long and can stay for up to 10 years before wanting to return to their ocean spawning grounds.
Last year, the trust released 1002kg of baby eels - over a million - and this year the total is already 360kg.
Mr Kerrison said the work was fantastically rewarding but securing funding was difficult.
The power companies that operated the dams financed part of the project and the trust hoped to secure a grant from the Lotteries Commission.
"There are around 250 licensed eel fishermen around here and without the work we do, they would run out of stock in years to come.
"People don't realise how delicate the stocks of freshwater fish are in New Zealand and unless we can generate more awareness, many species are likely to disappear," Mr Kerrison said.
He hoped the trust could extend its efforts to protect other freshwater species.
River guardians working to save a fragile resource
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