THE EEL'S BIRTHPLACE

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 42, 13 November 1920, Page 12

THE EEL'S BIRTHPLACE

, A DEEP-SEA DISCOVERY. In his presidential address to • the British Association At Cardiff. Professor Herdmnn, of Liverpool University, referred to tho discovery recently made by a Danish marine research expedition of the breeding place of the, European eol. In autumn, large eels migrate towards the 6ea from inland tutors and slowly move far out into the Atlantic. They never return, but breed somojrhero in tile depths of the 6pa.. They come up to the surfaco and slowly drift with the currents until they reach the shores of Western Europe or enter tho Mediterranean through thej Straits of Gibraltar. Then they ascend streams as elvers, and never return to the sea until they are fully grown. Dr. Johannes Schmidt, the leader nf the ' Danish expedition, has just completed an exploring voyage across the Atlantic during which successivo trawls of tho larvae were made until tho rogion where they were youngest and most abundant was ascertained. "Hitherto tho breeding ground has been generally supposed to lie between the Azores and l Bermuda. D.r. Schmidt believes that he lias now fixed the locality. To his surprise it has turned out. to lie about 2"deg. N! and SOdeg. W., not far south of Bermuda and much further to the west than had been anticipated. To this locality all tho eels of Europo repair for breeding.