April 19, 2013 — The elver fishery is hot right now, and the high prices for these juvenile eels mean that the dealing is getting dirty.
Maine is one of only two states in the union, along with South Carolina, where these tiny eels can be harvested. Their value has exploded in the past year, due to a worldwide eel shortage and the popularity of the fish in Asian meals, bringing the price to as much as $2,600 per pound. Three years ago, it was only $188 per pound, but the March 2011 tsunami destroyed some of the ponds where the eels are raised.
Such high value means that people are more inclined to poach the eels, putting the fishery in danger. It also leaves many eel fishermen vulnerable to robbery, carrying more cash from selling their catch than is safe.
For law enforcement to deal with poachers, penalties must be increased to keep up with the value of the catch. The fine, according to the DMR, is up to $2,000, but that amounts to only one pound’s worth of elvers at the current prices. Such a fine is probably considered as simply a cost of doing business by these illegal fishermen, and is not enough to be a deterrent.
That’s why we support LD 632, which would criminalize violations of elver fishery laws, including illegal possession. Per this bill, illegal harvesters would be arrested and the fine for those convicted of the crime would be a mandatory $2,000.
We’d like to see the penalty set even higher to help deter illegal harvesting, but it’s difficult for a law to be flexible enough to accommodate industry trends. Making elver fishery violations Class D crimes, rather than civil violations, should help deter those who may shrug off the fine but don’t want a conviction on their record.
As for protecting legal harvesters who are sometimes taking home cash hauls of half a million dollars or more, the bill would also require dealers to pay them in checks rather than cash, and it would shore up the process by requiring people to show ID along with their license to the purchasing dealer.
This bill received an “ought to pass” recommendation from the Committee on Marine Resources on April 8, and we hope to see it approved soon. As emergency legislation, it’s expected to move quickly so these provisions can be put in place for the remainder of this season, which ends May 31.
This editorial was written by Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski on behalf of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board.
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