By PATRICK WHITTLE

Associated Press

PORTLAND — Maine’s elver catch this year fell by more than 40 percent, failing to reach a quota first instituted this year, according to preliminary data released by the state Tuesday.

Maine fishermen caught about 10,100 pounds of the baby eels during the eight-week season against a quota of 11,749 pounds, the state Department of Marine Resources said in a statement. Early estimates show the value of elvers dropping from more than $1,800 per pound to between $600 and $1,000 per pound, said a department spokesman and industry officials.

“We could have had a better price,” said Jeffrey Pierce, director of the Maine Elver Fishermen’s Association. “Forty percent is a pretty brutal cut.”

The baby eels are caught in rivers and sold overseas to aquaculture companies in Asia that raise them to maturity and sell them for food. The state’s elver fishermen’s catch topped 18,000 pounds and $32 million in value for each of the past two years, spurring concerns from state and federal regulators about overfishing.

In a statement, State Marine Resources Commissioner Pat Keliher attributed this year’s shortfall to cold weather that slowed the migration of elvers. He also said the total amount of this year’s haul could increase when final numbers are calculated.

The Department of Marine Resources also described Maine’s new swipe card system, designed to discourage illegal elver poaching, as a success. Violations of elver-related laws dropped from 371 in 2013 to 71 this year, the department said. Unlicensed harvesting dipped from 219 violations in 2013 to 15 in 2014, preliminary reports show.

“The new swipe card system and individual fishing quotas have dramatically reduced illegal activity in Maine,” Keliher said.

The season was originally slated to begin March 22 but was delayed until April 6 so the new rules could be implemented, though fishermen and regulators said the cold weather prevented much fishing during those weeks anyway.

Next year’s quota level has not been determined and will need to be approved by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.

The commission has presented quota options that range from 3,000 pounds to 11,749 pounds. It is scheduled to vote on the limit in August.

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