Elver Quota Reductions Aim for
Future Sustainability

By Laurie Schreiber

ROCKPORT—In 2014, landings for Maine’s elver fishery were constrained for the first time by an overall state quota, set by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) at 11,749 pounds.

Fishermen ended up catching 9,690 pounds, leaving some of the quota in the water. The catch was an 8,000-pound decrease from 2013’s catch of 18,076 pounds.

Value, in 2014, decreased by more than $24 million, from $32.9 million to $8.4 million, attributed in part to the quota constraint and a decline in per-pound value from 2013 of nearly $1,000.

In 2012, fishermen harvested 21,600 pounds of the valuable elvers, earning $40.3 million.

Earlier this year, the ASMFC imposed another quota reduction. The Maine Elver Fishermen’s Association (MEFA) negotiated a reduction of only 12 percent, to 9,688 pounds, an amount that nearly matches 2014’s landings. That quota is set for the 2015-2017 seasons, subject to re-evaluation prior to the start of the 2018 fishing season.

The ASMFC’s initial quota proposal was 5,300 pounds. MEFA member Darrell Young expressed satisfaction with MEFA’s negotiations that resulted in the 9,688-pound quota. “I’d say we made out all right,” Young said during MEFA’s annual meeting, at the Maine Fishermen’s Forum in early March. “I know we all took cuts. We were all pretty unhappy about how it went. But the overall picture looks pretty good. It was definitely a battle and it took a lot of time.”

“The ASMFC was bound and determined we were going to take a cut,” agreed MEFA member Jeffrey Pierce. “When the conservation easements and credits come into play, we should be getting more quota back. I know it’s tough to look at another reduction this year.”

The ASMFC reductions responded to the findings of the 2012 benchmark stock assessment, which indicated the American eel population in U.S. waters is depleted. According to information from the Department of Marine Resources (DMR), causes of decline are likely due to a combination of factors, including historical overfishing, habitat loss, food web alterations, predation, turbine mortality, environmental changes, toxins and contaminants, and disease.

At the DMR’s public hearings in February 2015 to discuss the 2015 season, there were pro and con comments about the new quota. According to the DMR’s hearing transcription, some representative communications included:

• “In general, I’m in support,” said William Milliken of Jonesport.

• In a joint email, Darrell Young, Angela Young, Julie Keene and Adam Boutin asked for an allocation of individual quotas based on what individual fishermen caught in 2014. And they asked for quota reimbursements from fishermen who went over their individual quotas and from fishermen who had their licenses suspended. “We are very concerned that the state is holding back quota each year from the fishermen whose fishing privileges have been suspended,” they wrote. “We absolutely feel it is crucial that we are allowed to catch the entire quota….Based on the ASMFC’s history in other fisheries, we can expect to have our quota cut if we don’t catch it. We do not understand nor can we accept why we are being punished because of other people breaking the law, or not putting enough effort into catching their entire quota.”

• Norman Bernard, speaking for the Aroostook Band of Micmacs, said, “At some point in time, we would like to negotiate for more licenses and more quota. We have tribal members that are looking to get into the industry to learn more and get into it.”

After the hearings, the DMR decided to allow harvesters to fish the quota that fishermen lost in 2014 when losing their licenses; to fish quota from loss of licenses in the future; to cap the number of licenses and institute a lottery system for new entrants; and to allow transferable quota for medical reasons.

According to the DMR, Maine will also pursue up to a 25 percent increase, a number established by the ASMFC, in overall quota for future seasons, based on stock enhancement programs such as habitat restoration projects, fish passage improvements, or fish passage construction.

The 2015 season is set from March 22 to May 31. There are 404 state-licensed non-tribal elver harvesters and 23 state-licensed elver dealers. The four federally recognized tribes have issued 516 elver harvester licenses.

The 2014 elver season was characterized by less than one-tenth the number of poaching violations of 2013, due to the institution of a swipe card system which, combined with the individual fishing quotas, allowed managers to track landings. In 2013, elver value exceeded $2,000 per pound, which contributed to 219 violations related to fishing without a license, according to the DMR.

The new regime also eliminates roving trucks to pick up product. That means harvesters must have viable systems in their vehicles to hold and transport the delicate creatures to their dealers. Harvesters heard from Mike Pietrak, a scientist at the University of Maine/Orono’s Aquaculture Research Institute, who explained best management practices.

“You’re selling a high-quality product to eel farms elsewhere in the world,” Pietrak told harvesters. “They want to continue to buy that high-quality product. How you handle those eels, how you treat them, is really important to maintaining that quality further down the line.”

Pietrak said the most important considerations are water quality, habitat, and nutrition. “We’re really talking about short-term holding, 12 to 24 hours,” he said. “We don’t have to worry about food and nutrition too much. We’re mostly concerned about water quality and the system they’re held in.”

Pietrak discussed types of tanks and filtration to be considered, as well as water quality factors, such as dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH and ammonia.

“The most important thing you need to do is invest in an oxygen meter,” he said. “Because dissolved oxygen is critical to the fish, this is the only way you’ll know how much oxygen is in the water. This is not cheap. It will cost you $600 to $1,000. But it will save you, when you have that banner night and you’re thinking, ‘I’ve got lots of eels. I’ve got to get to the dealer.’ That’s the night you’ll have an oxygen problem. It happens. This will be your best friend.”

Pietrak said he would be willing to show harvesters how to set up their systems and deploy oxygen meters.