April 6, 2014 — Under scrutiny from federal regulators, Maine will open coastal streams on Sunday to fishing for tiny, translucent eels under a strict new monitoring system that, if successful, could turn a Wild West-like fishery into a national model.
Over the span of a few years, Maine’s elver fishery grew from a little-noticed venture into a $40 million industry involving heavily armed men guarding large piles of cash and “glass” eels worth up to $2,000 a pound.
Hundreds of state-licensed fishermen – as well as unlicensed poachers – jockeyed to catch as many of the baby eels as possible, with many earning six figures in just a few months.
The 2014 season brings significant changes to what has grown into Maine’s second-largest commercial fishery, however.
For the first time, fishermen will be required to stay within individual catch quotas in response to rising concerns about the sustainability of one of only two elver fisheries in the U.S. Maine also is implementing an electronic swipe card system that will allow regulators to monitor how many eels are being caught daily and shut down individual fishermen – or the entire season – if limits are exceeded.
Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald