The Key West citizen., 1952-12-29
MORAY EEL'S DEATH


Continued from Page One)
reef, six miles off Summerland,
and dropped the hook at the H
marker all that is above water
of Looe Key.
The day was the calmest since
October. The blue waters of Niles
channel and the Atlantic were so
smooth that it seemed more like
May than December.
On fhe way out, fhe small HUd-
gins boys were no more excited
than ! at the sight of half a
dozen schools Of porpoises play
ing and diving UP out Of the
wafer making their arched curve
against fhe horizon. The baIIyhoo
fish waIfzed their skimming
dives over fhe surface of ihe sea
elieifins shrieks Of 10y from Hen
rY Clay and John Hudgins.
The big freighters and tankers
en- route to Texas moved slowly
on the horizon seeming to stand
still to our eyes.
Finally the moment came when
Bert ard Skipper Ed Gibson went
into the water. Ed and his snorkel,
flippers, gloves and underwater
camera. Bert carried his under
water rubber propelled gun.
! was in no hurry to go In
the water. knew from last SUM-
days viewing from fhe deck that
these waters were loaded with
barracuda. Sure enough Bert and
Ed coming back to the boat
later reported that they had been
unpleasanfly close to a school Of
about IS good sized barracuda.
A good size is one that is over
| Is pounds. These were large but
UnagressiVe.
Two smaller but more aggressive
barracuda noSed near Ed while
he was reaching under a coral
head for crawfish. They did not
make a pass at him, but they did
open and shut their mouths in an
ominous way. Finally they went
away and left him to get his catch
for dinner.
The constant companion of craw-
fish unfortunately are generally the
vicious Moray eel. Ed had missed
reaching into the jagged toothed
jaw of one last week. Yesterday
he peered under the coral heads
before putting his gloved hand in
them.
Peering right back at Ed was
the charsreuse green Moray eel
poised for nice chunk of lunch
out Of Eds arm.
/ Ed does not like to kill needless
Ily, even if the target is the mali
eious Moray, but he could not get
at his crawfiSh without putting the
Moray out of the way.
He shot one of his spears into
the head Of the Moray stunning,
but not killing it. Then began a
battle Of one and one-half hours
between Ed and the Moray. But
like all spear fishermen he did
mot want to lose his spear and he
couldn't extricate his spear with
out extricating the Moray eel. Bert,
joined in the struggle, and from
the deck his wife, Dorothy and
Mary Hudgins and | watched, feel
ing a sympathetic chill at their
long immersion in the water.
H Finally ed swan back TO the
Mary King carrying the four and
one half foot lons Moray on his
spear.
4 Held This" he said as he
climbed aboard.
u was the second time have
had the experience Of holding q
spear with q Moray eel inpaIed
on II. Though The evil snake-like
creature had finally given Up the
ghost, his mouth was pFcpped
open by the spear through his
Jaws.
Gee, those are the teeth you
want TO stay away from" Ed
said He pointed to the crisscross
Of sharp little biters in the tri.
anguiar.shaped mouth Of the eel.
Since none Of Us wanted the eel
for a trophy or for dinner. Ed
dropped him back into the deep,
Bert had spared his dinner. one
nice grouper, and two erawfish
besides, They joined the two Ed
had previously caught.
Earlier | went ia the water for
aa experimental dip after four
months away from the sea Bert's
vile donasd her goggles and also
Tent In.
+ We were swimming aroand rear
the boat and near TIE men, when
MARY Eudgias called from the
boat:
I. There are two barracuda hesd
mg sgaxR ss-sss ~ a. s-s.s,Ess go. s,sss.