I’m pleased to share some good news for the 2025 elver fishing season and beyond!
As some of you have heard, Maine DMR was able to protect our 9,688 pounds of elver quota during recent deliberations by the American Eel Board at ASMFC’s winter meeting. Board discussion was around Draft Addendum VI which proposed two options for Maine’s commercial glass eel quota, starting in the 2025 fishing year. One of the two options would have reduced Maine’s quota by 21.8%. That would have been an economic loss of millions of dollars for Maine’s elver fishery. Fortunately, the Board recognized the strong management measures we’ve instituted here in Maine to avoid exceeding the state’s allotted quota and to reduce the incidents of illegal harvesting. The Board’s decision also recognized results from our fishery independent glass eel survey which shows a trend over five of the last seven years that significantly exceeds the average annual survey catch since 2001. Bottom line, this is great news for a fishery that, last year, generated over $20 million dollars for fishermen. While Draft Addendum VI now only contains one option for Maine’s glass eel quota, the current 9,688 pounds, there are options in the document for how long this quota should remain in place. There will be an opportunity to review and comment on the Draft Addendum and we will share that notice of opportunity for your comment as soon as it becomes available.
Please note also that DMR has published a Notice of Agency Rulemaking on Chapter 32 regarding the 2024 quota system and temporary medical transfers of elver quota. Date, time and location of the public hearing is February 15, 2024: 4:00 p.m. at DMR’s Augusta Office (Marquardt Building, 32 Blossom Lane, rm 118) and remotely via Microsoft Teams. If the February 15th hearing is cancelled due to inclement weather an alternate hearing will be held on February 16th at 3:00 pm in Room 224 of the same location, and Remotely via Microsoft Teams.
Hearing information including a link to join the hearing remotely can be found here.
The deadline for submitting comments on the proposed rule is February 26, 2024. Written comments can be mailed, emailed, or faxed to DMR using the contact information below.
NAME: Deirdre.Gilbert@maine.gov
MAILING ADDRESS: 21 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333-0021
E-MAIL: dmr.rulemaking@maine.gov
FAX: 207-624-6024