AUGUSTA (AP) — Maine fishing regulators are considering changes to the rules governing fishing for baby eels.
Maine’s the only state in the country with a significant fishery for baby eels, called elvers. The elvers are sold to Asian aquaculture companies that raise them and use them as food, including sushi. Maine’s elvers were worth about $ 875 per pound in 2014, when fishermen caught a little less than 10,000 pounds.
The state Legislature’s marine resources committee is considering changes in the designation of the closed period for elver fishing. It is currently illegal to fish for elvers from noon Friday to noon Sunday during fishing season. A bill would change the closed period to a weekly 48-hour timeframe established before the start of the season.
The committee will consider the bill today.
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