Orgy of Eels

More information: http://australianmuseum.net.au/blogpost/science/an-orgy-of-eels This footage shows a spawning aggregation of Basketwork Eels, Diastobranchus capensis, filmed on Patience Seamount at a depth of over 1000 metres, in the chilly waters south of Tasmania. The footage was taken in April 2015 by a camera towed behind the Marine National Facility’s newly commissioned ship, the RV Investigator. Male and female Basketwork Eels were caught in a beam trawl at the same location. Careful dissection of these fish revealed that they all had ripe gonads. Voyage Leader, CSIRO’s Dr Alan Williams stated “Capture of eels in spawning condition was the missing piece of the jigsaw – it confirmed that we were witnessing a spawning aggregation”.