A quiet infiltrator has been breeding in an Auckland reservoir, lowering the water quality, so a slippery hero needed to be brought in.
More specifically, 100 of them.
Longfin eels are seen as the answer to deal with an introduced predator that can decimate an eco-system.
“The main thing we are having a problem with is perch, or red fin perch,” Watercare’s Matthew Hubrick told TVNZ1's Seven Sharp at the lower Nihotupu Dam.
“Through their lifecycle they eat all sorts of different animals, native animals, fish, insects, things like that, and they also eat zoo plankton, which contributes to algal bloom.”
Cue the introduction of 100 longfin eels by Watercare to try and get on top of the issue.
All of these eels would’ve ended up on a dinner plate overseas.
“You could look at them as rescued eels. Once they are in here they will not be fished out as we don’t allow fishing,” Hubrick explained.
He hopes they will be 100 little nightmares for the reservoir's uninvited guests.
“The perch hatch in December so they will be hatching now, and they will start to chow down on those.”
As well as being good news for Aucklanders' drinking water supply, there is good news for the heroic eels too.
“There's plenty of food in there for them so they can grow fast and they can get out and breed more longfin eels.”
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