PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine’s fishery for baby eels recovered in value this spring.
The fishery is one of the most valuable in the country on a per-pound basis. The baby eels, called elvers, are valuable to Asian aquaculture companies that raise them to maturity so they can be used as food.
The eels are typically worth around $2,000 per pound, but fell to $525 per pound in 2020 due to disruption and economic turmoil caused by the coronavirus pandemic. But the Maine Department of Marine Resources reported recently that the eels were worth $1,849 per pound this year.
The fishing year ended on June 7. Fishermen harvested almost 9,000 pounds of the eels. That’s a few hundred pounds less than the quota they are allowed for the year.
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