February 28, 2017 — Fishing regulators and industry representatives support a plan for a lottery system to get new fishermen into Maine’s lucrative baby eel fishery, which is a key piece of the sushi supply chain.
Maine is the only state with a significant fishery for baby eels. They can fetch more than $2,000 per pound at the dock, after which they are sold to Asian aquaculture companies for use in food.
A group of lawmakers wants to create a lottery system to allow new people to get into the fishery when other fishermen leave it. Right now, it’s closed, with 419 fishermen searching Maine’s rivers and streams with their nets for the elvers.
The lottery plan faced a public hearing on Monday before the state legislature’s marine resources committee. Fishermen said the lottery is needed because members of the fishery are aging and someone will need to take their place.
Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Bristol Herald Courier