Conger - in short supply?

Happened to notice this while surfing around at

http://www.marine.ie/industry+services/ ... eel'05.pdf

Fisheries Science Services

FSS ? ADVICE

In recent years an inshore longline fishery targeting
conger eel has become established. Consideration
should be given to whether this is preferable to
conger as a recreational angling target species.
The wider question of the need for conservation
measures for this species is also worthy of consideration,
particularly in the context of the disimproving
status of freshwater eel, Anguilla anguilla.

It's surprising how many species are of little commercial value but are still deliberately target. I know a few folk on here are keen conger fishermen. How many think that conger should be protected, like bass, as a recreation-only species?

When longlining how do you exclusively target congers or any other fish species for that matter?

It's a bit of hit-it-and-hope. Pick ground that is known to hold a reasonable head of fish and go for it......

Last edited by x on Mon Jan 16, 2006 2:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Yup, I do. Fascinating fish, conger. Fantastic fighters too.

Sandman, have you let the British Conger Club know about all this? They may have some input.

http://www.britishcongerclub.org.uk/

the demise of the freshwater eel is intimately linked to the slowing down of the north atlantic drift (the gulf stream) a quick run down of the life cycle of the eel will explain-
eels spawn at the sargasso sea which is the birth place of the NAD.
the eel lava drift across the atlantic on the NAD
the lava develop into "glass eels" and enter the river systems and mature.
at a later date it is thought (no adult eel has ever been caught in the open ocean)that they return to the sargasso to spawn.

conger it is believed also spawn in the sargasso although this is (i think )still unproven. therefore if the slowing of the NAD affects fresh water eels it will also affect conger.
eels are one of the most mysterious of fish and very little is actually known about them the life cycles are curious and it has been seriously suggested that eels from europe only get here by accident(since the atlantic ocean opened up millions of years ago) and are doomed as they are unable to return to spawn

Yup, a good example of a perfectly natural environmental pressure, which is probably survivable on its own, being turned into a much more critical situation by commercial exploitation.

Tanglerat,

I did notify the BCC. Mentioned it to Leon as well. Since the Irish commercial pressure is only affecting our waters, they'll probably not have to worry too much over that side of the pond.

Hi All,

Thankyou for informing the British Conger Club with regards to the report on longlining for Conger Eels.

Unfortunately this method is already practiced in the English Channel by a few fast vessels. Long lines are laid over the many wrecks and reef structures in a similar fashion to wreck netting. Initially large catches are made, then they have to leave the wrecks for a few weeks sometimes months to re-estabish themselves. Conger Eels do appear to migrate around the channel.

Sometimes large Eels have been trawled up by vessels in open ground proving that the fish are fairly mobile. We have photographs of 200lb + monsters in this category.

On the subject of the Sargasso sea. It is now thought that congers actually breed in the Engish Channel and that the migration from the Sargasso Sea is one of theory. Like all matters of theory nothing has yet been proven or dis-proven.

I suppose satellite tagging may give us an answer? Who knows.
Tight Lines to all,
Tony Allen (webmaster)
http://www.britishcongerclub.org.uk

interesting to hear that conger may breed in the english channel and also quite surprizing as i thought all (or almost all) conger caught in british/irish waters were female

I thought they were all females too. Been lots of juvenile congers about last year, once it got dark we were picking them up from clean ground, small things around a pound in weight.

Pete