Damming the Mokihinui River eels
One of the things both Russel and Metiria can get really passionately fired up about is eels. I’m telling you, don’t let either of them catch you saying nasty things about eels, let alone damming or irrigating their rivers; off come their calm, reasonable Green Party politician personas.So, you can imagine their current consternation over Meridian Energy’s plan to dam the Mokihinui River on the West Coast.
This hydro dam will require Meridian to flood the Mokihinui Gorge, which is home to endangered bats, kiwi, snails, kaka and whio. It will also prevent many fish from swimming out to sea to breed. 12 of those fish species are natives, and four of them are endangered. And, of particular interest to Metiria and Russel are the long fin eels.
Long fin eels live for about 100 years if they are allowed. They swim all the way from their river in New Zealand to deep sea trenches off the coast in Tonga where they breed. The children then make their way slowly back to the same river from where their parents came.
The Ministry of Fisheries has no available estimates of the current biomass of long fin eels. It says
[T]here are no stock assessments, or reliable data or time series on which to base specific recommendations on catch levels.
Given the biology of eels, there is a high risk that the current exploitation levels for longfin eels in particular, coupled with past and present anthropogenic impacts, are not sustainable.
The West Coast Regional Council has given notice that it is considering resource consent for this dam and is accepting public submissions until April 23.
Forest and Bird opposes the dam and points out that the Department of Conservation rates the Mokihinui River as the seventh most important river in New Zealand because of its natural heritage values.
You can join Forest and Bird’s campaign to oppose the dam and find a great deal of resources on how to make a simple submission to the Regional Council opposing the dam on their website.
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:38 am
Isn’t clean energy a good thing?
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:52 am
Is it possible to build a dam anywhere without disrupting something?
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:05 pm
“..One of the things both Russel and Metiria can get really passionately fired up about is eels..”
(do they have any good recipies..?..)
phil(whoar.co.nz)
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Just pointing out that the energy would be used for dairy and coal mining expansion and the transmissions lines may go through or near parts of happy valley…
so clean energy for dirty industry…………
not so clear cut as.. meridian is creating clean energy.
dams are not automatically clean and environmentally friendly.
I would suggest people visit the area of look at some photos of the Mokihinui River. Forest and Bird has a heap of info on their website.
It is likely the energy is partly for the new Pike River Coal mine that is almost up and running. $100 000 may be spent in the environment court by Meridian, the minister ‘for the’ Environment and the West Coast Councils.
The Dam would be on an earthquake faultline and may cause massive erosion.
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:57 pm
maybe meridian can do a solid energy and make a ‘eel the movie’ PR doco after it dams the river and destroys the eel habitat
April 3rd, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Does the dam destroy the entire habitat (the eels need the running water of the river rather than a lake and there’s none left?) Is it feasible to organize a path around the dam as is done for salmon with “fish ladders” and the like?
Eels don’t jump, but it seems to me that a little cleverness is required to manage this in a way they CAN navigate, rather than simply opposing the dam.
If that were arranged would the eels be safe AND the power storage be available?
respectfully
BJ
April 3rd, 2008 at 4:49 pm
Ask Forest and Bird and Meridian is that comes into any of the proposed plans.
If it is too costly, it likely won’t. How could it be proven to work in advance?
April 3rd, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Eels may not be able to jump, but they are excellent climbers - given the opportunity.
Don’t take the p*ss too much about the eels, they’re in real dire straits. what with habitat destruction, commercial fishing and development, they need help. Sure, not as cute and cuddly as a kiwi or kakapo - but you’ve got to give these guys props for living for a hundred years plus!
The whole thing with eels is that they only breed ONCE (somewhere off Tonga), so, when you take the 2m long female out of the river, you also take the chance she had to breed. therefore, chronic decline of the population….
But of course, we won’t think about all of this stuff WE ALREADY KNOW until we’ve already wrecked it, and ‘whoops’, with the benefit of hindsight, we’ve wiped out another totally unique NZ native species.
Good one clean green NZ.
July 21st, 2008 at 9:56 pm
Hi guys,
Does anyone have an update on the dam proposal? Last I heard is Trevor Mallard will not call in Meridian. Is there a website to ‘be involved’. Cheers
July 24th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Wetawatch - go to http://www.wrap.org.nz - there’s a petition there and links to the Green party blogs, etc etc.
bjchip - I have a home in Mokihinui, and the eels spend most of their time in the upper reaches of the river (i.e where the dam is to be built). This means that the dam will significantly disrupt their lives in that area.
As well as the damage to the upper reaches, the short, intense bursts of water periodically released by the dam (assuming it operates like the ones in the Huka falls area, etc etc) will likely erode the river, as they will contain water at a higher volume and speed than the river’s natural flow. In essence, the river will have flash floods every day, which will erode banks, and the estuary at the rivermouth, as well as damaging the whitebait runs. All of this will effect the amounts of food available for the eels, both in their migratory patterns, and if they relocate their homes to the lower reaches of the river.
treesoftomorrow - you’re absolutely correct, the power will very likely go to the Ngakawau coal mine and the Pike River mine, thus damaging the environment three-fold (completely ignoring the dairy industry it will benefit as well)