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Eel tales from Embilipitiya
By Gamini P. Punchihewa
The story titled "Environmental Group Warns of Eel Decimation" that appeared in The Sunday Times of March 20 drew my attention as I live in Embilipitiya nestling in the Walawe basin which is studded with irrigation tanks that have been the natural habitat of three known varieties of eels (Andas).

In our water bodies, there are three species of eels. The level finned eel (Anguilla bicolour bicolour (Maha Andas), is the largest, growing upto 6 to 7 feet in length. The Veli Anda (Anguilla nebulessa nebulessa) and the Kaha Anda are the other two species. They are predominantly found in the Chandrika weva (Embilipitiya), Uda Walawe reservoir, Magama weva and Kiri Ibban weva about 15-20 miles away from Embilipitiya.

Eels are a favourite of the village folk as they believe that it purifies the blood system. eel fishermen in Embilipitiya have told me that eel fish curry eaten regularly increases the blood content in the body.

These eel fishermen row out in their boats to lay the baited hook lines in the evenings and early the following morning they row back to harvest the hooked eels for marketing at the fairs. The prices of the eels range from Rs. 250 to Rs. 350 depending on the length of each eel. On market days around the Walawe region, there is a brisk sale of eels.

Myths of Eels
The life cycle of the eel had once upon a time baffled mankind.
Some light was shed on the scientific evolution of eels by two Italian scientists - Grassi and Calon Drucie. Their theory was that a fish by the name of toptscophalus grew into immature eels.

They also concluded that the young were born in the sea and their eggs were hatched there. A marine research expedition headed by a Danish naturalist Johannes Schmidth gave the real explanation of the reproduction cycle of the eels. It was proved that the eels did inhabit the rivers and sought the refuge of the sea to lay their eggs. These eels had to migrate across rivers, estuaries and then even across grasslands, and the macadamized roads to procreate. Some of these eels, it is said had crossed the Atlantic Ocean covering 3000 miles from the shores of Britain to lay their eggs about 1500 feet below the surface of the ocean.

The tragic part of this long march for reproduction was that the parents never were able to see their offspring themselves! The other tragedy was that on their return migration to the rivers from where they had originally come, they had to perish in a salty grave!

It is said that many of them took two to two and half years to reach the rivers after crossing the Atlantic Ocean. The American eels migrate towards their own homeland, while the European eels went their way back towards Europe.

H.E. Keble in a chapter titled 'Life In Lakes, Streams and Rivers' gives the following account about the eels' life cycle. This particular monograph is in my 'Home Library' but unfortunately its front cover has been battered. Therefore I am unable to give the title of Keble’s book.

"They find one and live in peace for a time. They too just like their parents for thousands of years before them feel the call of destiny that beckons them to that distant breeding place on the other end of the Atlantic. It is the call of the sea back to the home of their infancy. It is a call that cannot be ignored, this type of instinct. The story of the Eel begins again - Propagation - Migration - Creation - Annihilation."

My good friend G. Piyasena in Embilipitiya is a retired Fisheries Inspector of the Fisheries Ministry.

Piyasena recalled that when he was attached to the Uda Walawe Fresh Water Experimental Station, a Swedish research scholar had wanted to do some experiments on eels. So Piyasena had to take him to two tanks, Chandrika weva in Embilipitiya and Kiri Ibban weva about 12 miles away from Embilipitiya. In these experiments, two other tanks were chosen, Magam Weva and Kiri Ibban weva (on the left bank of the Uda Walawe Reservoir) in the Hambantota district.

By using some trap device improvised, a kind of cage with a mesh around it was immersed in the water. Once the eels entered this meshed cage they had no way of escape at all. The Swede eel expert, Piyasena told me had to open the upper jaw of the eels and insert a small light weight metal tag inside. In it was also inscribed the date of capture. If any such eel tagged was caught, the fishermen were instructed to inform the Fisheries officials. The Swede researcher had further added that incentives too would be offered for such tagged eels caught. But as the Inland Fisheries Unit was later closed down this researcher's innovation was never even later put into operation.

In Italy and Greece from ancient times eel flesh is considered a delicacy. There are also eel farms in these countries. Environmental bodies should initiate immediate steps to ban the export of eels to other countries as indiscriminte fishing could lead to their being totally decimated. We should however, consider eel farms around the tanks, rivers or other suitable spots. We already have prawn farms that adopt scientific methods of culturing. So why not research into such a process for eels?

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