The State of Longfin Eel (LFE) Stocks – 2025

Since the introduction of Longfin Eels into New Zealand’s Quota Management System (QMS) in 2001 and 2004, the overall health, size structure, and population of eel stocks have markedly improved. These positive outcomes stem from multiple aligned factors.

🔧 Improved Harvesting Practices

·         Escape Tube Upgrades: Commercial fishers have widely adopted larger escape tube sizes, progressing from 25 mm to 31 mm—and in many cases to 38 mm or even 50 mm. This change has significantly reduced juvenile bycatch, increased yield per recruit, and lowered processing costs.

·         Reduced Commercial Pressure: The number of active fishers has dropped substantially, and only about 11% of LFE waters are now commercially harvested.

·         Weight-Based Limits: Harvestable eels must now weigh between 400 g and 4 kg, ensuring more mature specimens are retained while larger breeding individuals are returned.

📲 Digital Traceability and Monitoring

·         The introduction of electronic reporting and GPS tracking has dramatically improved real-time visibility into fishing activity—replacing slow and error-prone paper systems.

🌿 Habitat Restoration

·         Landowners (and taxpayers) have made significant strides in restoring waterways and wetlands, resulting in increased eel habitat and improved water quality, continuity, and accessibility.

🛡️ Protected Zones

·         The Department of Conservation, which oversees about 25% of New Zealand’s landmass, has prohibited commercial eel fishing in many areas—either via internal decisions or statutory designations (e.g., National Parks). These zones have become de facto sanctuaries.

🐣 Elver Recruitment

·         Consistent monitoring shows strong and reliable elver recruitment—adding resilience and growth to the population.

Taken together, these efforts have led to a balanced size structure, robust eel populations, and a sustainable ecosystem in commercially fished waters. Even in unfished zones—where monitoring is more limited—the same or better improvements are reasonably expected.

Regulatory Lag and Fisheries Act Breach

Despite these ecological gains, the regulatory framework has failed to evolve in parallel. Current policies are now undermining both sustainability and economic viability.

⚠️ Misaligned Catch Limits

·         Severely restricted LFE Total Allowable Commercial Catch (TACC) prevents efficient harvesting and forces the return of large, predatory eels that exceed the 4 kg upper limit.

·         These oversized eels feed disproportionately on smaller eels and fish—including Shortfin Eels (SFE), whose populations are declining due to predation and unviable catch profiles.

⚖️ Gender and Species Disparity

·         Male LFEs mature between 300–800 g, while females grow well beyond 4 kg—sometimes over 10 kg.

·         SFEs are much smaller by comparison (males: 150–200 g; females: 800 g–2 kg), making them especially vulnerable.

·         Historic mixed SFE/LFE fisheries are now LFE-dominated, due to insufficient LFE ACE, rendering SFE harvests uneconomic and LFE catches impossible.

🪝 Burden on Fishermen

·         Mandatory returns of large eels impose growing physical and economic strain on fishers.

·         The current system violates the Fisheries Act's mandate to maximize sustainable utilisation and balance conservation with viable harvest parameters.

The Way Forward

The eel industry has invested heavily in ecosystem improvement. To reflect this success:

·         TACC and ACE levels must be urgently recalibrated to match current stock health.

·         Weight restrictions must be re-evaluated, especially regarding predator-heavy individuals.

·         Policy must align with the Fisheries Act’s intent: to optimize sustainability, not stifle it.

This is a rare moment where ecosystem restoration, industry responsibility, and data transparency are converging. Regulatory inertia must not squander the gains.