Australia country information

Common names: Australian longfinned eel, Conger eel, Freshwater eel
Occurrence: native
Salinity: freshwater
Abundance: common (usually seen) | Ref: Kailola, P.J., M.J. Williams, P.C. Stewart, R.E. Reichelt, A. McNee and C. Grieve, 1993
Importance: minor commercial | Ref: Hall, D.N., D.J. Harrington and P.S. Fairbrother, 1990
Aquaculture: commercial | Ref: Arthington, A.H. and F. McKenzie, 1997
Regulations: restricted | Ref: Kailola, P.J., M.J. Williams, P.C. Stewart, R.E. Reichelt, A. McNee and C. Grieve, 1993
Uses: live export: yes;
Comments: Known from Cape York, Qld. South to the vicinity of Melbourne, Victoria and to the rivers of eastern and northeastern Tasmania and Lord Howe Is. (Ref. 7300). Longfin eels are most abundant in Queensland and New South Wales (Ref. 26508). Longfin eels in Australian waters probably consist of a single stock. Commercial fishery: The main Australian freshwater eel fishery is located in Victoria where eels have been caught commercially since 1914 (Ref. 26507). Longfin eels are the main species caught in the New South Wales and Queensland eel fisheries. The New South Wales annual catch has averaged just over 100 t during the 3 years up to June 1990, with 60% of the eels being caught from the Clarence River, Macleay River and the Myall lakes. Traps, including weir-type traps, are used to catch eels in tributaries, flood drains and swamps but are exluded from main river courses in New South Wales. In Queensland, the recorded annual catch is approximately 35 t. Most of the Australian eel catch is destined for export markets, with 290 t exported in 1988-1989. Longfin eels are exported live or chilled to Hong Kong and Taiwan, or frozen for the French market. A small proportion is smoked and sold on the domestic market. Aquaculture: Longfin eels are not cultured on a commercial basis but a number of pilot projects were under way during the period leading to 1993. Recreational fishery: Freshwater eels are commonly caught by anglers when line fishing for other species in estuaries or freshwaters (Ref. 26509). They can be targeted by using introduced garden snails (Helicidae) as bait (Ref. 26510). The Australian Anglers Association record for freshwater eel is a longfin eel of 8900 g caught in northern New South Wales. Resource status: The longfin eel catch in Queensland is probably below sustainable levels but the expansion of that fishery is dependent on regulations aimed at protecting other valuable commercial and recreational fish species. There is no information on the status of the New South Wales eel resources. Known from Mulgrave and South Johnstone rivers, Wet Tropics, Northern Queensland (Ref. 40054); Burdekin River (Ref. 40171). Also Ref. 1739, 11115, 48776, 44894, 75154.
National Checklist:
Country Information: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/as.html
National Fisheries Authority: http://www.csiro.au/
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Kailola, P.J., M.J. Williams, P.C. Stewart, R.E. Reichelt, A. McNee and C. Grieve, 1993
National Database:

Common names from other countries

Longfin eel, Speckled longfin-eel, Anguille tachetée, ... more

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Anguilliformes (Eels and morays) > Anguillidae (Freshwater eels)
Etymology: Anguilla: Latin, anguilla, .-ae = eel (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Steindachner.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; freshwater; brackish; demersal; catadromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 0 - 3000 m (Ref. 86942). Tropical; 10°S - 43°S, 141°E - 161°E (Ref. 57367)

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Asia and Oceania: New Guinea, eastern Australia, including Tasmania, Lord Howe Island and New Caledonia.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 165 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 82796); 158.0 cm TL (female); common length : 100.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5259); max. published weight: 22.0 kg (Ref. 82796); max. reported age: 41 years (Ref. 6390)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Characterized by mottled color and tooth bands with a separated inner series. The only other species within its range with these characters is Anguilla marmorata, but that species has a longer dorsal fin (Ref. 9828).

Occur in coastal lagoons, rivers, streams, lakes, swamps and farm dams, but prefers riverine habitats (Ref. 26509, 44894). Usually found in deep waters of reservoirs well away from the shore. Mature adults undertake annual spawning migrations to oceanic waters (Ref. 44894). Mainly nocturnal feeders. Feed on crustaceans, mollusks, aquatic and terrestrial insects, fish including elvers and native trout. Maximum size for female longfin eel taken from Ref. 6390. A reasonably good angling fish which may grow to 22 kilograms (Ref. 44894).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Allen, G.R., 1989. Freshwater fishes of Australia. T.F.H. Publications, Inc., Neptune City, New Jersey. (Ref. 5259)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 07 November 2018

CITES (Ref. 128078)

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

Fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: commercial; gamefish: yes

FAO(Publication : search) | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items
Diet compositions
Food consumptions
Food rations
Predators

Ecology
Ecology
Home ranges

Population dynamics
Growths
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversions
Recruitments
Abundances

Life cycle
Reproduction
Maturities
Fecundities
Spawnings
Spawning aggregations
Egg(s)
Egg developments
Larvae
Larval dynamics

Distribution
Countries
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
BRUVS - Videos

Anatomy
Gill areas
Brains
Otoliths

Physiology
Body compositions
Nutrients
Oxygen consumptions
Swimming type
Swimming speeds
Visual pigment(s)
Fish sounds
Diseases / Parasites
Toxicities (LC50s)

Genetics
Genetics
Electrophoreses
Heritabilities

Human related
Aquaculture systems
Aquaculture profiles
Strains
Ciguatera cases
Stamps, coins, misc.

Outreach
Collaborators

Taxonomy
Common names
Synonyms
Morphology
Morphometrics
Pictures

References
References

Tools

Special reports

Check for Aquarium maintenance | Check for Species Fact Sheets | Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

Download XML

Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 115969): 3.8 - 12.7, mean 5.5 (based on 94 cells).

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00076 (0.00037 - 0.00155), b=3.17 (3.00 - 3.34), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this Genus-body shape (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 3.6 ±0.56 se; based on food items.

Resilience (Ref. 120179): Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (tm=8-30; tmax=41, Fec=5 million).

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Very high vulnerability (90 of 100).

Price category (Ref. 80766): Unknown.

Anguilla reinhardtii Steindachner, 1867