PORTLAND (AP) — Regulators Tuesday postponed making a decision on new rules concerning Maine’s American eel fishery.
The eel management board of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission was to vote on proposed new regulations for glass, yellow and silver eel fisheries from Maine to Florida. But after a daylong discussion, the board decided to delay a vote until August and form a working group to gather more information about glass eels, which are baby eels known as elvers.
Options under consideration for Maine’s elver fishery include closing the fishery or setting a catch quota. Tuesday’s meeting took place in Alexandria, Va.
Catch prices in Maine have spiked to more than $2,000 a pound. Last year’s harvest was worth $38 million, making it the second most-valuable fishery in Maine.
Elver fishing is prohibited in all Atlantic states except Maine and South Carolina. Maine’s elver catch topped 20,000 pounds last year; South Carolina’s was less than 1,000 pounds.
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