SC - Gee, what can we do with an eel....

[Laura C. Minnick]

Siegfried Heydrich wrote:
> 
>     Well, we've got moray eels down here, and you usually find them by
> sticking your hand into any hole or crevice in the rocks underwater. Be
> aware, though, that you will definitely want somebody standing by to catch
> the shark (aka the 3rd course) that will be attracted by the exceptionally
> messy moray harvesting process. If you're lucky, it won't have swallowed any
> body parts, and they can be re-attached.
>     Actually, moray is pretty good, and they're nowhere near as fearsome as
> some people (who are missing fingers and such) make them out to be. 

Sig, you are a loon. (meant kindly, of course!;-) I 'met' a moray once,
about 20 years ago, when I was living in Hawaii. Our house was right on
the beach, and I used to go skin diving occasionally. In Laie Bay there
was a coral reef about a 100 yrds out that went up to the mouth of the
bay. It kept the sharks out of the bay proper and the only time we lost
a surfer when I was living there was when a couple of guys went out
beyond the reef for the really big waves. Only one came home. They
eventually found part of his buddy's board. Anyway, while out poking
around in the reef one day (wishing there was a way to waterproof the
little book of cool creatures so I could take it out with me), I came
around a corner, and out from an opening about the size of a garbage-can
lid comes the moray eel. His head was about the size of a football, and
my god! Those teeth! Think the alien momma in _Alien_ and it's about
right. I stopped, he stopped, we regarded each other, and I slowly
backed away, wondering what in fish language would mean "Oops! Excuse
me!" When I was about 20 feet or so back he went *shoop!* back in his
hole. I went home for the day. One monster is enough for me.

> We also have spotted eel, which is kind of
> scrawny (they're only a foot or so long, hardly worth the effort), but is
> tasty, if a bit bland. Unfortunately, the seaweed huggers have prevented any
> commercial harvesting of eels in the gulf . . .

I suspect those are closer to the eels Seumas is looking for...

'Lainie