Elver dealer pleads guilty to federal violations
Photo / David Clough
Woolwich elver dealer William Sheldon, owner of Kennebec Glass Eels, faces a $250,000 fine and possible jail time after pleading guilty to one count of violating the federal Lacey Act.
Woolwich elver dealer William Sheldon, owner of Kennebec Glass Eels, faces a $250,000 fine and possible jail time after pleading guilty to one count of violating the federal Lacey Act.
The Ellsworth American reported that Sheldon admitted to buying elvers from an undercover U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agent in April 2013 that had been illegally harvested in South Carolina and elsewhere. Under a plea agreement, Sheldon has accepted the fine of $250,000 and supervised release and waived his right to appeal any prison sentence of 30 months or less.
It is unclear whether Sheldon’s conviction on federal charges will impact his Maine elver dealer license, the newspaper reported.
“At this time the USFWS agents have not shared any state violations,” Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher told the newspaper by email.
Sheldon, whose age was reported as 71, was profiled earlier this year by National Geographic in a story detailing the lucrative elver trade.
During the 2017 fishing season, Maine harvesters netted 9,282 pounds worth an average $1,302 per pound and a total value of $12,089,766, according to preliminary estimates reported by the Maine Department of Marine Resources in June.
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