Tag Archives: Maine elver fishery

Maine elver season gets slower start, but values still above average

Maine’s elver fishery got its start on 22 March, and at two weeks in, the average price-per-pound is sitting well above historical averages. Maine’s elver fishery made headlines last year as the prices being paid for the baby eels hit historic highs, with some reporting getting prices of over USD 2,500 (EUR 2,225) per pound. Maine Department of Marine Resources landing statistics show that the fishery brought in USD 21.7 million (EUR 19.3 million) in 2018, with an average seasonal price of USD 2,366 (EUR 2,105) per pound, making it the second-most valuable fishery in the state behind lobster. >click to read<10:42

Maine Elver fishery value plunges 74%

elver eelAfter two years of runaway catches and explosive value, Maine’s elver fishery fell substantially back toward Earth in 2014, according to state officials. But despite a near 75 percent reduction in the value of the volatile fishery, elver fishermen in Maine still did pretty well last year, bringing in the third-most valuable annual elver harvest in the past two decades. With the fishery’s reduced value, elvers became the fourth-most valuable commercially harvested species in Maine in 2014, behind lobster, softshell clams and herring, in that order. Read the rest here 10:07

Big changes, worry of lower prices in Maine Elver fishery

Nearly 22% of that quota is assigned to the state’s four Indian tribes, with the largest share going to the Passamaquoddies. The remainder of the quota will be harvested by the 436 licensed, non-tribal fishermen. To manage the fishery, the Maine Department of Marine Resources plans to assign each of the fisherman an individual quota of how many eels they can catch in the season. Read more here  21:29

Changes loom for Maine elver fishery – catch limits – swipe-card monitoring of elver sales – welfare fraud prevention project

Maine’s lucrative elver fishery is facing some big changes, including smaller catch quotas and a new swipe-card monitoring system that state officials hope will help manage the resource while reducing the poaching of baby eels that fetched up to $2,000 a pound last season. more@portlandpress 12:08