BOSTON (AP) — Two men have been indicted for illegally harvesting and selling juvenile eels from New Jersey and Massachusetts waters.
Federal prosecutors say Joseph Kelley and James Lewis were indicted in Newark, New Jersey Thursday with conspiracy to smuggle the valuable eels, which are also known as “elvers” or “glass eels.”
The indictment alleges Kelley and Lewis illegally harvested the elvers and then sold them to dealers and exporters. The two men were charged as a result of an interagency sting known as “Operation Broken Glass.”
The baby eels are valuable and rare food commodity in Asia. Fishermen sometimes sell them for more than $2,000 per pound. Their harvest is prohibited in the U.S. except for in Maine and South Carolina.
It couldn’t be immediately determined if Kelley and Lewis had lawyers.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less