January 27, 2025 — Twenty Mainers will soon have a chance to join the state’s lucrative elver fishery.
The Department of Marine Resources (DMR) says it will hold a lottery, starting at noon on Monday for the right to apply for an elver license.
The lottery will be available through 4:30 p.m. on February 20, providing lottery winners with the chance to apply for a license prior to the upcoming season, which starts at noon on March 22 and runs through noon on June 7.
The DMR says the lottery is available to Maine residents who are at least 15 years of age by the start of the 2026 season, and who are eligible to purchase an elver license in 2026 because they have not had their right to obtain an elver license suspended.