2.8 million eels converge on Tasmania's Patience Seamount to spawn
About 2.8 million basketwork eels gather annually at Patience Seamount, the only known spawning site for deep-sea eels globally.
Ocean surveys off Tasmania have revealed one of nature's strangest gatherings: around 2.8 million basketwork eels converging each year at Patience Seamount in the Huon Marine Park. Basketwork eels grow to about 1.8 metres and are named for their crosshatch skin pattern, and are deep-sea scavengers.
Scientists used underwater sound technology to map the aggregation, which sits about 1,000 metres down and covers about 2 by 3 kilometres. The eels start arriving in December, peak between May and August, then vanish by October.
Researchers caught several and found all had empty stomachs, with most ready to spawn. Why they chose Patience Seamount, one of 120 seamounts in the marine park, remains a mystery.
- 2.8 million
- Eels gathering
- 3.5 tonnes
- Biomass
- About 1,000 metres
- Depth
- May to August
- Peak spawning months
Why it mattersBasketwork eels are vulnerable to extinction, and this spawning site is their only known gathering place globally, making it critical for the species' survival.
AustraliaParks Australia now has baseline data to monitor and protect the eel population at Patience Seamount, and the site is already protected from bottom trawling that threatens the species.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 4 h ago
Open this story in InSnip →
