Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2012 4:40 am Post subject: Elvers, aka Glass Eels at $2k per Pound
Netting Tiny Eels and Big Profits
Elvers are a hot commodity in Asia, where aquaculture farms grow them to adult size and sell them for sushi and other food. They are believed to spawn in the Sargasso Sea and drift on currents to Maine, where they make their way to fresh water and, from March 22 through May 31, into the waiting nets of some 400 elver fishermen. The action takes place overnight, when elvers are most active.
The baby eels need to be even more elusive, since almost everything eats them, from herons to trout. Humans too. Glass eels—so-called for their transparent bodies—command a huge price in Asia, where they are grown to maturity and sold as a delicacy. The high price of eels spawned a gold-rush fishery that eventually led to limits on their harvest in the U.S. Poaching remains a problem in some areas, as a pound of elvers can fetch up to $2,200.
Legislature Takes Aim at Eel Poaching As Prices Soar
The most lucrative fishery in Maine right now isn't lobster, or scallops, or urchin roe, its the juvenile eel, or "elver" fishery. Fueled by demand from the Far East, the price per pound has soared over the past two years, and the going rate this season has topped over $2,000 per pound. But these prices also create a powerful incentive for poaching. A bill approved by the Maine House of Representatives today aims to put a dent in illegal elver fishing, while paving the way for a few legal fishermen to get in on the game.
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