Eel Research in 1970

Abstract

The summer of 1970 was the third in which a standard set of fyke nets was used to make a detailed study of the eel stocks in a particular lake. The lake chosen was Lough Key which lies on the Boyle River, a tributary near the source of the River Shannon. Miss Ann Fortune and Miss Christine Royle, zoology students, were employed on bursaries for the field and some of the laboratory work. The method of working has been described in previous Leaflets (Nos. 9 and 21). In brief it consists of fishing daily with a standard set of eight nets (sixteen traps with eight leaders arranged in line) which have a cod-end mesh size of 10 mm. The eels were measured, weighed and sexed and otoliths and stomachs were preserved for examination.