Imagine wriggly, slimy creatures, each weighing a few grams, yet worth more than $2,000 a pound. These are baby eels, or elvers, the most valuable fish in the United States on a per-pound basis. Their value surpasses that of lobsters, scallops, or salmon. Why? The answer is simple: their pivotal role in the global supply chain for Japanese cuisine.
The Elver Catch in Maine
Maine remains the only state in the country with a significant elver catch. Here, fishermen use nets in rivers and streams to gather these tiny creatures. However, recent months have witnessed an outcry from these fishermen about potential cuts to the strict quota system governing the fishery.
But there’s good news on the horizon. An interstate regulatory board controlling the fishery has proposed a plan to maintain the current quota of just under 10,000 pounds per year, without a sunset date. Darrell Young, a director of the Maine Elver Fishermen Association, communicated the fishermen’s hopes for the plan’s approval. “Just let ‘er go and let us fish,” Young urged. “We’ve done everything they’ve asked, above and beyond.”
High Stakes Vote for the Elver Fishery
On May 1, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s board is due to vote on this new quota system for the eel fishery. The board has the option to extend the current quota for three more years.
These eels, once caught, are sold to Asian aquaculture companies as seed stock. The companies raise them to maturity, and they eventually become food, like kabayaki, a dish of marinated, grilled eel. Some of these mature eels even make their way back to the U.S., where they are sold in sushi restaurants.
Elver Poaching: A Rising Concern
Elvers were worth a staggering $2,009 a pound last year, a value more than 400 times that of lobster, Maine’s signature seafood. This high value in the early 2010s, coupled with foreign sources drying up, has led to the emergence of poaching as a major concern.
However, Patrick Keliher, commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources, expressed optimism about the strict management measures already in place in Maine. He stated that the elver quota remaining at current levels reflects these measures. A quota cut, he warned, “could have been a loss of millions of dollars in income for Maine’s elver industry.”
The new elver season starts next week, and despite the difficulty in catching these elusive creatures, a surge of new fishermen are keen to try their hand. This year, more than 4,500 applicants vied for just 16 available licenses in the state’s lottery.
Elvers’ high value and the lucrative industry have not only attracted local fishermen but also caught the attention of global conservation groups. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the European eel is more critically endangered than the American eel. This raises a pressing question: How can the equilibrium between a thriving industry and sustainable conservation be maintained?
