I & I NSW
Wild Fisheries research Program
River Eels
(Anguilla spp.)
Exploitation Status
lightly to Fully Fished
Stock status varies between catchments, with some areas being lightly fished and other areas subject to
significant fishing effort. Overall catch rate is relatively stable, with a decline in commercial fishing effort
since the late 1990s.
Scientific name
Standard name
comment
Anguilla reinhardtii
longfinned eel
Primary target of the commerical fishery
Anguilla australis
shortfinned eel
Anguilla reinhardtii
Image © Bernard Yau
Background
There are two species of ‘river eel’: the
longfinned river eel (Anguilla reinhardtii) and
the shortfinned river eel (A. australis). Both
species occur along the entire NSW coast,
but longfinned eels are the primary target of
the commercial fishery. Within Australia, the
shortfinned river eel has a more southerly
distribution (approximately between Brisbane
and Tasmania) than the longfinned river eel
(between Cape York and Tasmania). Both
species are also found at Lord Howe Island and
Norfolk Island as well as in New Caledonia and
New Zealand. Longfinned eels are also found
in New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. In
NSW waters, both species occur in estuaries
and in most freshwaters east of the Great
Dividing Range, with the longfinned river eel
preferring riverine and estuarine habitats while
the shortfinned river eel is more likely to be
found in still or slow flowing fresh waters. River
eels are the top carnivores in upper catchment
waters, feeding on crustaceans, molluscs,
terrestrial and aquatic insects, and in the case
of larger individuals, fish (including other eels)
and small waterfowl.
Spawning occurs in deep ocean waters
(believed to be in the Coral Sea), typically
during winter. River eels pass through
two distinct larval stages: the leaf-like
‘leptocephalus’ larva and the un-pigmented,
eel-shaped post-larvae known as ‘glass eel’ or
‘elver’. After a long larval period (almost one
year) the elvers enter estuaries and freshwaters.
In the process, they quickly develop into fully
pigmented sub-adults or ‘yellow eels’, which
are the focus of the commercial fishery. River
eels are less affected by in-stream barriers
than are most finfish, and are able to ascend
most dams and weirs provided suitably damp
conditions are available. River eels appear to
grow slowly, taking about 20 to 50 years to
reach sexual maturity. In general, females grow
to a much larger size than males. Mature eels
migrate downstream (with the assistance of
floodwaters) before swimming up to 3000 km
to reach the spawning area. Maximum length
is about 165 cm for longfinned river eels and
about 110 cm for shortfinned river eels. Adults
are presumed to die after spawning.
River eel landings were first recorded separately
in 1969. Recorded landings remained low (less
than 100 t per year) until 1991. During this
period most of the landings were recorded
from the Clarence River. The primary market
was for locally smoked eel meat or frozen
fillets exported to Europe. Prices for both
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wild fisheries research program
Recreational Catch of River Eels
The annual recreational harvest of river eels in
NSW is likely to be less than 10 t. This estimate
is based upon the results of the offsite National
Recreational and Indigenous Fishing Survey
(Henry and Lyle, 2003) and onsite surveys
undertaken by I & I NSW.
Historical Landings of River Eels
• Recreational landings are not accurately
known, and may be significant in some
catchments near population centres.
• There is a minimum legal length of 58 cm and
recreational bag limit of 10 longfinned eels
and a minimum legal length of 30 cm and
recreational bag limit of 10 shortfinned eels.
150
100
Landings (t)
50
Financial Year
Commercial landings (including available historical
records) of river eels for NSW from 1990/91 to 2008/09
for all fishing methods. Catches from impoundments are
not included in this figure.
Landings by Commercial Fishery of River Eels
200
Estuary General (Primary Species)
50
• Commercial landings fluctuate over time,
and have declined over the past decade - but
analysis is confounded by a reduction in
fishing effort and the possible effects of the
drought. After declining in the 1990s, recent
commercial catch rates are relatively stable.
90/91 92/93 94/95 96/97 98/99 00/01 02/03 04/05 06/07 08/09
0
• With the exception of some impoundments
where fishing occurs under permit,
commercial fishing is not allowed in
freshwater (where the majority of female eels
occur).
0
• River eels represent an economically valuable
fishery, with precautionary management
strategies in place because of the complex life
history of these long lived species.
Landings (t)
Additional Notes
200
Eels are taken almost exclusively in eel traps.
Most of the catch is exported live to China and
a very small proportion of the catch is sold as
whole fish through the Sydney Fish Market.
150
Peaks in eel fishing activity vary between
catchments. In the Clarence River eel trapping
is generally a winter activity. Commercial eel
fishing in the Hawkesbury River, however, peaks
earlier in the year, and is possibly market driven
to supply the high export demand for the
Chinese New Year.
Catch
100
markets were relatively low. In the early 1990s,
a high value market developed for live eels for
export to China. Fishing effort in the estuaries
increased substantially and permits were issued
for harvesting from impoundments in 1991.
97/98
99/00
01/02
03/04
05/06
07/08
Financial Year
Reported landings of river eels by NSW commercial
fisheries from 1997/98. Fisheries which contribute less
than 2.5% of the landings are excluded for clarity and
privacy. Catches from impoundments are excluded from
this figure.
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s tat u s o f f i s h e r i e s r e s o u r c e s i n n s w, 2 0 0 8 / 0 9
Catch Per Unit Effort Information of River Eels
Harvested by Eel Trapping in NSW
1.0
Pease, B.C., V. Silberschneider and T. Walford (2002).
Upstream migration by glass eels of two Anguilla
species in the Hacking River, New South Wales,
Australia, American Fisheries Society Symposium 33.
0.6
0.4
Queensland Fisheries. (2010). Stock status of
Queensland’s fisheries resources 2009-10.
Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic
Development and Innovation: 65 pp.
0.0
0.2
Relative Catch Rate
0.8
Potter, I.C. and G.A. Hyndes (1999). Characteristics
of the ichthyofaunas of southwestern Australian
estuaries, including comparisons with holarctic
estuaries and estuaries elsewhere in temperate
Australia: A review. Australian Journal of Ecology 24:
395-421.
98/99
00/01
02/03
04/05
06/07
08/09
Financial Year
Catch rates of river eels harvested using eel trapping for
NSW. Two indicators are provided: (1) median catch rate
(lower solid line); and (2) 90th percentile of the catch
rate (upper dashed line). Note that catch rates are not a
robust indicator of abundance in many cases. Caution
should be applied when interpreting these results.
Fur ther Reading
Beumer, J.P. (1979). Feeding and movement of Anguilla
australis and A. reinhardtii in Macleods Morass,
Victoria, Australia. Journal of Fish Biology 14 (6): 573592.
Henry, G.W. and J.M. Lyle (2003). The National
Recreational and Indigenous Fishing Survey. Final
Report to the Fisheries Research & Development
Corporation and the Fisheries Action Program
Project FRDC 1999/158. NSW Fisheries Final Report
Series No. 48. 188. Cronulla, NSW Fisheries.
McKinnon, L., R. Gasior, A. Collins, B. Pease and F.
Ruwald (2002). Assessment of eastern Australian
Anguilla australis and A. reinhardtii glass eel stocks.
In: Assessment of Eastern Australian Glass Eel Stocks
and Associated Eel Aquaculture. Final Report to
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Project 97/312 and 99/330. Alexandra, Vic, Marine
and Freshwater Resources Institute.
Pease, B.C. (2004). Description of the biology and
an assessment of the fishery for adult longfinned
eels in NSW. Final Report to Fisheries Research and
Development Corporation. Project 1998/127.
167 pp. Sydney, NSW Fisheries.
Pease, B.C., D.P. Reynolds and C.T. Walsh (2003).
Validation of otolith age determination in Australian
longfinned river eels, Anguilla reinhardtii. Marine and
Freshwater Research 54: 995-1004.
Silberschneider, V., B.C. Pease and D.J. Booth (2001). A
novel artificial habitat collection device for studying
resettlement patterns in anguillid glass eels, Journal
of Fish Biology 58: 1359-1370.
Silberschnieder, V., B.C. Pease and D.J. Booth (2004).
Estuarine habitat preferences of Anguilla australis
and A. reinhardtii glass eels as inferred from
laboratory experiments, Environmental Biology of
Fishes 71 (4): 395-402.
Sloane, R.D. (1984). Distribution, abundance, growth
and food of freshwater eels (Anguilla spp.) in the
Douglas River, Tasmania. Australian Journal of Marine
and Freshwater Research 35: 325-339.
Walsh, C.T. and B.C. Pease (2002). The use of clove oil
as an anaesthetic for the longfinned eel, Anguilla
reinhardtii (Steindachner), Aquaculture Research 33:
627-635.
Walsh, C.T., B.C. Pease and D.J. Booth (2003). Sexual
dimorphism and gonadal development of the
Australian longfinned river eel, Journal of Fish
Biology 63: 137-152.
Walsh, C.T., B.C. Pease and D.J. Booth (2004). Variation
in the sex ratio, size and age of longfinned eels
within and among coastal catchments of southeastern Australia, Journal of Fish Biology 64: 12971312.
Walsh, C.T., B.C. Pease, S.D. Hoyle and D.J. Booth (2006).
Variability in growth of longfinned eels among
coastal catchments of south-eastern Australia,
Journal Fish Biology 68 1693-1706.
Please visit the CSIRO website,
http://www.marine.csiro.au/caab/ and search for
the species code (CAAB) 37 056001 and 37 056002,
common name or scientific name to find further
information.
© State of New South Wales through Industry and Investment NSW 2010. You may copy, distribute and otherwise freely deal with this publication for any purpose, provided that you attribute Industry and Investment NSW as the owner.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this publication is based on knowledge and understanding at the time of writing (April 2010). However, because of advances in knowledge, users are reminded of the need to ensure that information upon which they rely is up to date and to check currency of the information with the appropriate officer of Industry and Investment NSW or the user’s independent adviser.
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