I'm going to talk about the Parramatta eels. I'm going to tell you about the journey of the eel and how that is affected by climate change.
I think eels are a powerful symbol of our region- people identify strongly with the football team which is playing tonight- I believe that the score was 12-8 last time I checked- Parramatta is winning against Penrith. Later on this evening, we're going to walk down Church St with lanterns and give out flyers about the situation of the Parramatta Eels and try to engage a bit with people about that. You're welcome to come and walk with us.
Eels also are the reason for this place. "Parramatta" means "Where the eels lie down in the Dharug language. The eels lie down in the upper reaches of the Parramatta River and Lake Parramatta where they quietly rest amid the rocks and reeds during the hotter part of the day- and are more active in the night.
Who here has seen an eel - a real eel- near Parramatta?
Local Dharug artist Leanne Tobin tells us that:
"This place [Parramatta] is where the river meets the saltwater. It’s a place where the adult eels following their age-old cycle, lying down in wait for the full moon, fat and ready for their epic journey up to the Coral Sea to spawn. Their young then return eventually back to the rivers of their forebears to continue the circle of life. For the people living around the banks of the river it was a time of great feasting and clans traveled from far away to share the eels. Corroborees and song of the different clans celebrating together could be heard along the sandy river banks".
Long finned eels in Sydney reproduce once in their lives-at their life's end. The journey they take to breed in the Coral Sea is quite incredible. When Autumn arrives and when conditions are right - nice and rainy like the last few days, eels leave their watery homes -dams and ponds - where they have lived for a few decades- and travel through densely populated suburbs and across the Golf Courses, even down big Dam walls, they slip into the brackish water of Parramatta River, and then into the salt water of the harbour and the open ocean. As the long-finned eels get closer to Sydney harbour, their gills change in preparation for saltwater and their eyes increase in size.
From there they undertake a 2000-kilometre swim to New Caledonia. The eels breed in deep tropical waters in the Coral Sea, with females laying up to 20 million eggs. Then the exhausted adult eels die once they have spawned their offspring. When the eggs hatch they begin to float south on ocean currents. Driven by instinct, the baby eels go right back to the exact place their parents used to live- so these lakes are literally 'ancestral homes'. European settlement has put some obstacles in their way, but they still find their way, even slithering their way up the wall of the Warragamba Dam. They swim back up the Parramatta River, across the golf courses, through the drainpipes, across backyards and then into permanent water sources to live for a few decades and start the cycle again.
In some parts of Australia- such as near Melbourne, researchers have verified that Aboriginal people farmed the eels through an extensive aquaculture system. It's possible that this could have taken place in Parramatta.
So why might we care about climate change with the eels of Parramatta?
Research has found that baby eels migrating upstream show a preference for mild water temperatures between 12 and 20C, Water temperatures above and below these levels almost completely stop migration, thus warmer temperatures associated with global climate change could have a detrimental impact on baby eels. The sea is also becoming more acidic as it dissolves more Carbon Dioxide, so we need to be concerned about the entire marine food web. The calcium skeletons of shellfish and other sea life break down in acid conditions. Combined with the issue coral bleaching, tropical marine ecosystems are becoming very vulnerable.
So what can you do to protect the reef?
-We are demonstrating our concern this Earth Hour by walking through Parramatta CBD
-You can become more aware of where the eels migrate in your local area. What are the permanent sources of water. What are their food sources? How many eels do you think are there?
-You can advocate for improving the water quality of lakes and dams in this area, so that more eels thrive there. There are many ways we can particularly encourage greenskeepers to shift to more sustainable and less chemical intensive methods of caring for golf courses and other sports grounds. I can tell you about these if you are interested.
-You can join Parracan and work to address the causes of climate change, which is our continued reliance on outdated fossil fuel technologies, and speed up modern renewable energy technologies.
Campaign groups such as ParraCAN work to encourage our political leaders to speed up the shift to a low fossil carbon future. It's sometimes a thrilling and challenging journey to learn about these issues in a community group like Parracan. Almost as thrilling as following the journey of the Parramatta Eels.
