Tibbles, Mitzy, Smudge and Mog, Champ, Spot, Tip and Tess, that's who!
Or rather, what, that's what's eating the eels that are hauled from Southland's waterways in such numbers that their future is threatened.
Pets are feasting on the eels that in previous decades fed people here in Southland. And the remaining eels have caught the attention of Jerel Kwek, Singaporean pet food mogul. Mr Kwek has visited the eel merchants of Southland to talk to them about pet food. The business community is excited at the prospect of the pet food mogul buying our eels and turning them into pet food.
Pets! Pampered pets, by the sound of the spiel from Mr Kwek, who says that,
'Buyers of pet food considered products from New Zealand to be clean and green so he could sell them at a premium price."
I'm really dismayed by this 'news'. That the eel populations that have been declining in number for decades now are being caught to feed pets, really disturbs me in a way that will have rightwingers baying, as they bayed over there action from greenies like myself to threats to the powelliphanta snails, the native frogs, the Maui dolphins and every other creature that they felt was grist to their money-making mill.
Native eels, ground up to feed pampered pets.
That's a disgrace.
I'll write more on this subject when I get back from Colac Bay and what I hope will be catching a glimpse of the whale and her calf.
Meanwhile, CampbellLive covered the issue here.
11 comments:
You wont have the right wingers panicing, its not them catching the eels. Good luck taking on the runakas who claim it as their right though, all the people I know who harvest eel are maori.
I loved the comment where he says that it's NZ's image that helps him to sell the product. So he stuffs NZ by selling declining fish stock, but claims it as his best marketing tool, you can blaim the right wingers all you like, but I think his country of origin plays more of a part in his attitude
Ah! The exploitative Singaporeans!
I don't blame the righties for catching eels, Towack. I'm pointing out that they bluster whenever a lefty decries the threats to any living thing, other than a sheep or a cow.
The spluttering that begins the moment you say 'whale', 'dolphin', 'orange roughy' or 'oyster' is disturbing to witness.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10811454
While I'm all for robust political debate, there seems little to be gained from chickenshit pointscoring over the wanton destruction of yet another chunk of precious biodiversity. Also the assumption that all Maori are of whatever political persuasion that it happens to be convenient to assign them to is just fucking weird, but maybe that's a deep south thing.
Joe's correct. It's eels for petfood that's the issue. My bad for cheap point scoring.
I'm sure I came across a mention of an Addington Chch company as a suspected buyer of the West Coast eels. Unfortunately I can't find it now. Perhaps it was Fairfax, who now more than ever notoriously remove stuff when it suits.
What dismays me to the point of exasperation about this is that these animals are probably gone forever, to satisfy a spuriously cultivated demand for top shelf petfood with claimed new-agey benefits. Fiji Water for pampered pussycats, whose owners may well consider themselves to be purchasing the greenest product that money can buy.
Our article said Mr Kwek already processes 70% of his pet foods in Te Puke or thereabouts. Metiria Turei has done a lot of work on eels. I'll search out her stuff. Either way, these fish are being fished out for no good reason, if that reason is high-end pet food. I've no doubt that pet numbers are growing as the middle classes in Asia swell, just as the eel numbers in New Zealand fall. I've a letter to the editor into 'head office' and hope to read it in my own copy early this week. The eel fishermen will be irritated, no doubt. Like mining, it's all about jobs. Eh.
I do happen to know a few eel farmers. In fairness to them ,well the ones I know, they arent out plundering the wild stock, they all have large holding ponds where they feed them. One near Hokitika I used to visit was one of the scariest places I ever visited, hundreds of eyes looking up at you, eels stacked on eels. A bit like a winter dairy shed really.
Farmed eels. That's somewhat different. Are there such 'farms' in Southland, the focus of Mr Kwek's visit?
Thanks Robert, my bad, it seems I've confused Addiction with Addington, and there's no Christchurch processing link.
Here's the link that started me fretting:
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/107660/native-long-fin-eels-are-petfood-in-us
I'm still fretting, Joe and have a fretting-letter into the paper awaiting publishing.
"Addiction" is an ominous name for a pet-food manufacturer and has a zietgiesty ring to it.
Robert,
That letter was a 'bad look'. I am not sure where you get your facts from? When did long fin or short fin eels become endangered? Your letter has left me confused. As far as I understand commercial eel fishing is managed by MPI under their quota system. Do you have a problems with this quota system? Perhaps you need to speak to MPI rather than alienating NZs commercial business partners in the paper?
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