Saving Seafood

MAINE: Early elver landings reports reflect still chilly water temperatures

April 2, 2019 — With the onset of spring, many a young man’s fancy may turn to love, but in Maine it’s elvers that get the juices flowing.

With ice still in many ponds and rivers, though, Maine has yet to see its first big run of the tiny moneymakers.

The fishing season opened on March 22 and, by Saturday evening, dealer reports to the Department of Marine Resources suggested that the juvenile eels that were the source of Maine’s second most valuable fishery last year were still scarce. The shortage of elvers has apparently failed to drive up the price that dealers were paying fishermen to the $2,800-per-pound level seen last year, at least not yet.

Maine elver harvesters fish under a statewide quota of 9,688 pounds imposed by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. Of that, just over 7,566 pounds are allocated to harvesters licensed by DMR. The balance is allocated among Maine’s four federally recognized Indian tribes: the Aroostook Band of Micmac; the Houlton Band of Maliseet; the Passamaquoddy Tribe; and the Penobscot Nation.

All harvesters, whether licensed by DMR or by one of the tribal governments, are required to sell their landings to state-licensed dealers and those dealers are required to report their purchases electronically to DMR on a daily basis.

As of 6 p.m. Saturday, dealers reported buying a total of just over 230 pounds with a reported value of $369,321 — an average price of $1,606 per pound.

Read the full story at The Ellsworth American

Baby Eel Fishermen Hope for Year Free of Poaching, Shutdowns

March 25, 2019 — Maine fishermen began several weeks of taking to rivers and streams to fish for baby eels Friday, which marked the start of a high-stakes season harvesters hope isn’t interrupted by poaching concerns as it was a year ago.

Fishermen in Maine use nets to harvest baby eels, called elvers, to feed demand from Asian aquaculture companies, who use them as seed stock.

The tiny eels are the source of one of the most valuable fisheries in the country on a per-pound basis, and they were worth a record of more than $2,300 per pound last year. Maine’s home to the only significant elver fishery in the country.

Last year’s season was shut down two weeks early by state regulators after investigators found that illegal sales had caused Maine to blow past its quota for the eels. New controls on the fishery are expected to clamp down on clandestine sales, and the use of a swipe card system to record transactions remains in effect.

Darrell Young, co-director of the Maine Elver Fishermen Association, said the health of the fishery also depends on members of the industry “behaving themselves” this time around.

“Buyers wanted to find their way around the swipe cards. They just made it harder for everybody else,” Young said.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at The New York Times

Maine’s 2019 eel fishing season set to begin as state cracks down on criminal activity

March 18, 2019 — A year after eel fishermen in Maine earned their highest-ever pay rates for their catch, and as the global appetite for the snake-like fish continues to grow, the state’s annual baby eel fishing season is set to begin Friday.

But while fishermen hope again to be paid more than $2,000 per pound for the baby eels — also known as glass eels or elvers — that swim into their nets this spring, some things will be different for the licensed dealers who buy them. State officials have put new rules in place aimed at preventing dealers from buying elvers under the counter, out of view of regulators who are charged with limiting Maine’s annual statewide harvest to 9,688 pounds.

The new regulations come on the heels of the latest investigation of criminal activity in the fishery in which a few dealers were buying elvers with cash from fishermen, with neither party reporting the catch to the Maine Department of Marine Resources. The 2018 elver season was shut down two weeks early after state officials learned of the scheme out of concern that the unreported catch may have put Maine over its annual harvest limit.

Read the full story at the Bangor Daily News

A new job for Maine law enforcement: Supervising the packing of baby eels

March 8, 2019 — New controls are coming to Maine’s valuable baby eel fishery this season.

A state panel approved new requirements for the exportation of baby eels, called elvers, on Wednesday. The Maine Department of Marine Resources wants to add a requirement that baby eel exporters notify the Maine Marine Patrol 48 hours before preparing to pack and ship the eels. The officer will then witness the packing.

The new rule’s designed to deter illegal sales of the valuable fish. Elvers are almost always worth more than $1,000 per pound at docks. They’re then sold to Asian aquaculture companies so they can raised to maturity for use as food.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Portland Press Herald

MAINE: Vote Coming Soon on New Rule to Prevent Baby Eel Poaching

March 4, 2019 — A state committee is scheduled to make a decision this week about whether to tighten controls in the Maine baby eel fishery to prevent poaching.

Baby eels are one of Maine’s most valuable marine resources. They almost always sell for more than $1,000 per pound to dealers. The Maine Department of Marine Resources wants to add a requirement that baby eel exporters in the state notify the Maine Marine Patrol 48 hours before preparing to pack and ship the eels.

The DMR Advisory Council is expected to vote on the proposal on Wednesday at 1 p.m. in Augusta.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at U.S. News

2 Maine eel dealers face charges after illegal sales cut lucrative fishing season short

January 28, 2019 — Illegal sales of baby eels that caused last year’s abrupt closure of Maine’s elver fishery have resulted in criminal charges for two baby eel dealers and new rules from the state proposing closer oversight of the lucrative fishery.

The alleged criminal behavior, in which some dealers are accused of using prohibited cash transactions to conceal baby eel purchases from the state’s mandated electronic sales monitoring system, is the latest illicit scheme to be uncovered in Maine’s baby eel fishery.

Ever since the value of the eels, also known as elvers, jumped from an average price of $100 per pound a decade ago to more than $2,300 per pound last year, fishery regulators have had to contend with increased poaching and smuggling.

The Maine dealers accused of making illegal cash purchases of elvers last spring are Roger Bintliff and Freddie Mei, according to Jeff Nichols, spokesman for the state Department of Marine Resources.

Read the full story at Bangor Daily News

ASMFC 77th Annual Meeting Revised Preliminary Agenda

September 28, 2018 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:   

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 77th Annual Meeting will be held October 21-25, 2018 at The Roosevelt Hotel, Madison Avenue. The room block is now closed. Please notify Cindy Robertson (crobertson@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740) if you need assistance reserving a room.

Please note: The preliminary agenda has been revised with the following changes: (1) meeting times have changed on Monday, October 22 for the American Lobster Board, Atlantic Herring Section, and the American Eel Board; and (2) the Atlantic Menhaden Board, previously scheduled for October 23rd, and the Shad and River Herring Board, previously scheduled for October 25th, have both been cancelled. Meeting times on those days have shifted to reflect those cancellations. The revised agenda is attached and follows below.

All meetings throughout the week are open to the public, free of charge. However, if you are planning on attending any of the meeting events (Sunday and Monday Receptions, Tuesday Dinner, or Wednesday Hart Award Luncheon), please register as soon as possible; simply fill-in and submit the registration form to Lisa Hartman at lhartman@asmfc.org. Events are filling up quickly and we cannot guarantee you space unless you register. The meeting registration fee is $200/per participant and $150/per spouse or guest if you register by October 15, 2018. After October 15th and in New York the fees will be $225 and $175, respectively. The registration fee will be used to defray the cost of the Sunday and Monday night receptions, the Tuesday night dinner, and the Wednesday Hart Award Luncheon, as well as event materials. Payment is not required until you arrive at the meeting; however, we ask that you please assist us in planning for the meeting by registering as soon as possible.

If you are driving to the meeting, we strongly encourage you to park in New Jersey at the Port Imperial/Weehawken Terminal and take a short ferry to Midtown Manhattan since parking in NYC is exorbitant.  Directions are attached and can also be found here.

The final agenda and meeting materials will be available on October 10th on the Commission website at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2018-annual-meeting.

ASMFC 77th Annual Meeting:

October 21 – 25, 2018

The Roosevelt Hotel
Madison Avenue @ 45th Street
New York, NY

Revised Preliminary Agenda

Please note: The preliminary agenda has been revised with the following changes: (1) meeting times have changed on Monday, October 22 for the American Lobster Board, Atlantic Herring Section, and the American Eel Board; and (2) the Atlantic Menhaden Board, previously scheduled for October 23rd, and the Shad and River Herring Board, previously scheduled for October 25th, have both been cancelled. Meeting times on those days have shifted to reflect those cancellations.

The agenda is subject to change. Bulleted items represent the anticipated major issues to be discussed or acted upon at the meeting. The final agenda will include additional items and may revise the bulleted items provided below. The agenda reflects the current estimate of time required for scheduled Board meetings. The Commission may adjust this agenda in accordance with the actual duration of Board meetings. Interested parties should anticipate Boards starting earlier or later than indicated herein.

Sunday, October 21

6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Hosts’ Reception

Monday, October 22

8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. American Lobster Management Board:

  • Review of the NOAA Fisheries Technical Memo on Right Whale Status and Recovery
  • Report on the October 2018 Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team Meeting
  • Review American Lobster Addendum XXVII Timeline
  • Discuss Protocols to Evaluate Bait Sources
  • Progress Update from the American Lobster Electronic Tracking and Reporting Subcommittees
  • Consider Approval of 2018 Fishery Management Plan Reviews and State Compliance Reports for American Lobster and Jonah Crab

12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Lunch (On Your Own)

1:30 – 3:30 p.m. Atlantic Herring Section:

  • Review 2018 Atlantic Herring Benchmark Assessment Peer Review Report
  • Review and Consider Approval of Benchmark Stock Assessment and Peer Review Report for Management Use
  • Review and Discuss White Paper on Atlantic Herring Spawning Protections
  • Update on 2019-2021 Fishery Specifications Process
  • Set 2019 Specifications for Area 1A
  • Review and Populate Atlantic Herring Advisory Panel

3:45 – 4:45 p.m. American Eel Management Board:

  • Presentation on Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species Workshop and Discuss Next Steps
  • Consider Approval of 2018 Fishery Management Plan Review and State Compliance Reports

6:30 – 8:00 p.m. Welcome Reception

Tuesday, October 23

8:00 – 10:15 a.m. Strategic Planning Workshop

10:15 – 11:15 a.m. Business Session:

  • Review and Consider Approval of the 2019 Action Plan
  • Elect Chair and Vice-Chair

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Coastal Sharks Management Board:

  • Review and Consider Addendum V for Final Approval
  • Review Proposed 2019 Coastal Sharks Fishery Specifications
  • Consider Approval of 2018 Fishery Management Plan Review and State Compliance Reports

12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Lunch (On Your Own)

12:30 – 5:00 p.m. Law Enforcement Committee:

(A portion of this meeting may be a closed session for Committee members only)

  • Review 2018 Action Plan and New Tasks for 2019
  • Progress Report on Enforcement of the Offshore American Lobster Fishery
  • Update on American Eel Addendum V and State Aquaculture Proposals
  • Review Federal Transit Zone Proposal for Striped Bass in Block Island Sound
  • Review Transit Zone Proposal for Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass
  • Review Tautog Commercial Tagging Program
  • Review ASMFC Managed Species
  • Review Ongoing Enforcement Issues (Closed Session)
  • Federal and State Agency Reports

1:30 – 2:30 p.m. Spiny Dogfish Management Board:

  • Review 2018 Stock Assessment Update
  • Set Spiny Dogfish 2019-2021 Fishery Specifications
  • Discuss Adjustments to Federal Commercial Trip Limit
  • Consider Approval of 2018 Fishery Management Plan Review and State Compliance Reports

2:45 – 4:00 p.m. Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board:

  • Review Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Regarding Lifting the Ban on Atlantic Striped Bass Fishing in the Federal Block Island Sound Transit Zone
  • Update on North Carolina Cooperative Winter Tagging Program
  • Progress Update on the Benchmark Stock Assessment

6:15 – 9:00 p.m. Annual Dinner

Wednesday, October 24

8:00 – 10:00 a.m. Executive Committee: (A portion of this meeting may be a closed session for Committee members and Commissioners only)

  • Consider Approval of FY18 Audit
  • Discuss Priorities for Use of Plus-up Funding
  • Consider Changes to the Appeals Process
  • Appointment of Aquaculture Committee
  • Report from the Awards Committee

8:30 a.m. – Noon Law Enforcement Committee (continued):

10:15 – 11:00 a.m. Weakfish Management Board:

  • Review Technical Committee Report on Commercial Discards
  • Consider Approval of 2018 Fishery Management Plan Review and State Compliance Reports
  • Elect Vice-Chair

11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Horseshoe Crab Management Board:

  • Set 2019 Delaware Bay Horseshoe Crab Fishery Specifications
  • Progress Update on the Horseshoe Crab Benchmark Stock Assessment
  • Consider Approval of 2018 Fishery Management Plan Review and State Compliance Reports
  • Elect Vice-Chair

12:15 – 1:30 p.m. Captain David H. Hart Award Luncheon

1:30 – 3:30 p.m. Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board:

  • Consider Approval of Draft Addendum XXXII (2019 Black Sea Bass and Summer Flounder Recreational Management) for Public Comment
  • Progress Update on Black Sea Bass Commercial Working Group

3:45 – 4:45 p.m. Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program (ACCSP) Coordinating Council:

  • Program/Committee Updates
  • Progress Report on SAFIS Redesign
  • Consider Recommendations of FY2019 Submitted Proposals
  • Clarify Funding Decision Process
  • Discuss Formation of Data Reporting Committee on Data Accountability

Thursday, October 25

8:00 – 9:00 a.m. Tautog Management Board:

  • Progress Update on Development of the Commercial Harvest Tagging Program
  • Technical Committee Report on Biological Sampling Requirements
  • Consider Approval of 2018 Fishery Management Plan Review and State Compliance Reports

9:15 – 11:00 a.m. Interstate Fisheries Management Program Policy Board:

  • Update from the Executive Committee
  • Progress Update on Risk and Uncertainty Workgroup
  • Review Recommendations of the October 2019 Atlantic LargeWhale Take Reduction Team Meeting and Possible Impact to Commission Species
  • Review and Consider Approval of the Stock Assessment Schedule
  • Update on the Northeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program
  • Standing Committee Reports

o   Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership

o   Law Enforcement Committee

  • Consider Noncompliance Recommendations (If Necessary)

11:00 – 11:15 a.m. Business Session (continued):

  • Review Noncompliance Findings (If Necessary)

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries Management Board:

  • Review Public Comment Summary for Cobia Draft Amendment 1 Public Information Document
  • Provide Guidance to the Cobia Plan Development Team on Options for Inclusion in Draft Amendment 1
  • Consider Approval of 2018 Fishery Management Plan Reviews and State Compliance Reports for Black Drum, Spotted Seatrout, and Spanish Mackerel

Public Comment Guidelines

With the intent of developing policies in the Commission’s procedures for public participation that result in a fair opportunity for public input, the ISFMP Policy Board has approved the following guidelines for use at management board meetings:

For issues that are not on the agenda, management boards will continue to provide opportunity to the public to bring matters of concern to the board’s attention at the start of each board meeting. Board chairs will use a speaker sign-up list in deciding how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak.

For topics that are on the agenda, but have not gone out for public comment, board chairs will provide limited opportunity for comment, taking into account the time allotted on the agenda for the topic. Chairs will have flexibility in deciding how to allocate comment opportunities; this could include hearing one comment in favor and one in opposition until the chair is satisfied further comment will not provide additional insight to the board.

For agenda action items that have already gone out for public comment, it is the Policy Board’s intent to end the occasional practice of allowing extensive and lengthy public comments. Currently, board chairs have the discretion to decide what public comment to allow in these circumstances.

In addition, the following timeline has been established for the submission of written comment for issues for which the Commission has NOT established a specific public comment period (i.e., in response to proposed management action).

1.    Comments received 3 weeks prior to the start of a meeting week will be included in the briefing materials.

2.    Comments received by 5:00 PM on Tuesday, October 16, 2018 will be distributed electronically to Commissioners/Board members prior to the meeting and a limited number of copies will be provided at the meeting.

3.    Following Tuesday, October 16, 2018 5:00 PM deadline, the commenter will be responsible for distributing the information to the management board prior to the board meeting or providing enough copies for the management board consideration at the meeting (a minimum of 50 copies).

The submitted comments must clearly indicate the commenter’s expectation from the ASMFC staff regarding distribution.  As with other public comment, it will be accepted via mail, fax, and email.

 

The Eel Deal: This D.C. Restaurant Serves Up Eel From The Chesapeake

September 14, 2018 — Eels are misunderstood. They’re slimy, and look like snakes—which makes it hard for some people to stomach the thought of eating one. But eel season is ramping up at one D.C. restaurant, where the chef serves eels caught in the Chesapeake Bay.

Despite appearances, eels are fish. They breathe through gills and move using two long fins—one down their back, another along their bellies. The two fins meet to form a tail.

At seafood restaurant The Salt Line, chef Kyle Bailey is happy to offer eel to his customers.

“They’re available and I want that because I don’t see them anywhere else in town, and I would love to be the restaurant that has something that nobody else has,” Bailey says.

Bailey’s eels are provided by Dock-to-Dish, a restaurant-supported fishery program in the Washington region. It allows chefs to trace the fish they get back to the dock they came from.

From Kent Island To The Salt Line

The source of Bailey’s eels is Troy Wilkins, one of a couple dozen Maryland watermen who fish for the elusive, yet abundant creatures on a regular basis.

On a recent day, Wilkins sails near Kent Island in the Chesapeake. From the deck of his fishing boat, the Misty Tango, he reels in two-foot-long, cylindrical eel pots one by one.

Several pots come up nearly full. Roughly a dozen greenish-brown eels writhe around inside the pots before he dumps them into a holding tank. Some eels are big, about four or five pounds. Others are much smaller.

Read the full story at DCist

 

Glass ceiling: Regulators reject Maine elver quota increase

August 10, 2018 — The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission rejected an effort this week to expand Maine’s lucrative elver, or glass eel, by increasing the annual quota by 20 percent.

Maine harvesters are allowed to harvest 9,688 pounds of elvers annually under current regulations. The state hoped to increase the harvest to 11,749 pounds.

Ultimately, the commission voted 13-5 against a quota increase, with opponents of the effort citing the “depleted” state of the stock as reason for rejecting the proposal.

Prices for elvers have been steadily increasing with market demand from Asia, where the juvenile eels are raised to adult size in controlled farms. Prices have averaged $2,400 per pound in recent seasons. The 2017 season, which ran from March 22 to May 24, earned more than $21 million for Maine harvesters.

The lucrative fishery known for high catches and rising prices is becoming a bigger target for illegal harvests and trafficking.

In May, a U.S. District Court in Portland, Maine, handed down the final sentencing in the drawn out trials of 21 fishermen involved in an elver poaching ring along the East Coast.

William “Bill” Sheldon, 71, who has been called “grandfather of eel fishing” and “Maine’s elver kingpin,” was sentenced to six months in prison and three years of supervised release. The entire ring made an estimated $5 million selling elvers to Asia on the black market after netting their catch along the Atlantic seaboard in states where the fishery is banned. The ring funneled poached elvers through Maine and South Carolina, which have commercial eel fisheries.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Regulators will not allow lucrative baby eel fishery to grow

August 8, 2018 –A regulatory board decided Wednesday that Maine’s baby eel fishery, the only one of its kind in the U.S. and one of the most lucrative fisheries in the country, will not be allowed to expand next year.

Fishermen in Maine are allowed to harvest a total of 9,688 pounds of the elvers per year, and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission shot down a proposal to increase that by about 20 percent. The increase would’ve been a boost to a fishery that routinely fetches some of the highest prices in the country on a per-pound basis.

Baby eels, called elvers, can be worth more than $2,000 per pound at docks because they are used by Asian aquaculture companies in the worldwide supply chain for Japanese food. Maine is the only state in the U.S. with a significant fishery for them, and worldwide supplies have been low, making them even more valuable.

Maine’s elver fishery is coming out of a contentious season that ended in May, when authorities shut down the fishery early amid concerns about illegal sales. The fishery is tightly monitored to deter poaching, and the illegal transactions circumvented a swipe card system used to track elver sales in Maine, authorities said.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at The Washington Times