Artist raises plight of threatened eel | Hawkes Bay News | Local News in Hawkes Bay

It has taken the actions of a visiting American woman to bring a focus to the plight of our longfin eel.

On a visit to Lake Rotoiti in the South Island, artist and science educator Stephanie Bowman became captivated by the mysterious, slimy and enchanting creatures, but was shocked to discover they were a threatened species.

Four visits to New Zealand later, Ms Bowman still feels just as passionate.

"The longfin eel is simply amazing," she said. "These important predators are found nowhere else in the world and are a crucial part of this country's history."

She first wrote and illustrated an educational story book about the lives of longfin eels. Then, with the help of family and friends, continued the trail of awareness by starting a tapestry.

Since travelling throughout New Zealand, it has grown to 40m as students and countless others have added their colourful message of "weird sea creatures and twinkling starfish".

Wendy, The Tapestry, is in Napier for a short time before heading to Wellington, where it will be carried through Parliament and onto Te Papa Museum for display before sailing to Tonga and back, "just like the eels".

Hawke's Bay DoC ranger Gabriela Gomez Fell said the special creatures "have a great story to tell".

They lived an interesting and long life for up to 100 years in waterways, where they could reach up to two metres in length.

Only once will they leave New Zealand shores to travel to an area near Tonga where they would breed and then die.

Both longfin and shortfin eels are endemic to New Zealand.

Although not as cute, cuddly or iconic as the kiwi, they are important in maintaining stability in our eco system. Regarded as taonga by Maori they were highly valued and had been heavily fished, commercially and recreationally, since the 1970s through to the early 1990s.

A Massey University senior lecturer said longfin eels, already driven to low numbers having succumbed to a loss of habitat, pollution and overfishing, were commercially fished for export to Europe and Asia and were on the verge of extinction.

Wendy, The Tapestry, will be on display at the DoC office on Marine Parade until Friday, December 16, when it will be moved to The National Aquarium of New Zealand until the January. For school bookings contact Gabriela Gomez Fell on ggomezfell@doc.govt.nz 06 834 4850.

For more information about the eels visit www.longfineel.co.nz