They have vicious teeth, a shark-like bite and are very difficult to kill. Now, it seems, Ireland's "indigenous" population of conger eels may not be so native as we thought, according to research carried out in University College Cork.
In fact, the origins of the current conger population are proving to be something of a mystery. A survey carried out by Sandra O'Sullivan of UCC's Department of Zoology and Animal Ecology, along with Prof Maire Mulcahy of UCC and Chris Moriarty of the Marine Institute, has shown that the conger is not breeding in our inshore waters at all.
"It is a fascinating dilemma," Prof Mulcahy told The Irish Times, speaking after she had given details at an inshore fisheries conference hosted last week by Bord Iascaigh Mhara and the Central Fisheries Board. "So very little has been known about the biology of the conger in the past, but it was assumed that they reproduced here, unlike the freshwater eel, which breeds in the Sargasso Sea. Now the question is whether our conger population is coming from elsewhere after all."
The survey studied a sample of 154 conger eels, caught in trawls, on long-lines and in lobster pots, over a period of months between August 1998 and June 1999. The eels ranged in age from eight to 20 years, and all were female.
The conger eel (Conger conger) is increasingly targeted by both sea anglers and commercial inshore fishermen, and conflicts between both sectors have resulted in calls for management of the stock. The wider question of managing inshore fisheries generally was debated at the conference, held by BIM and the CFB in Cork last week, when it was estimated that this coastal resource within the 12-mile limit is worth an annual £50 million to the economy.
A BIM report on inshore fisheries represented the first comprehensive review of the sector. "Within the inshore zone, as we approach the end of the 20th century, both the commercial inshore fisherman and the sea angler are faced with the stark reality of serious stock depletion," Mr Pat Keogh, chief executive of BIM, told the conference.
He welcomed the decision by the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Dr Woods, to set up a national inshore fisheries advisory committee.
BIM's website is at http://www.bim.ie Lorna Siggins can be contacted at lsiggins@irish-times.ie
