Fishermen are expecting continuing high prices from nighttime harvests of baby eels, or elvers, from Maine’s rivers in the 10-week season that starts tomorrow at noon.
Last year, prices hit up to $2,600 per pound for the small translucent eels and the The Associated Press reported high prices are expected again this year.
The lucrative prices prompted 5,200 people to apply for a license in a lottery that awarded just four new licenses this year. The state awarded 413 elver fishing licenses this year for the season that runs from March 22 to May 31.
Last year’s 10-week season brought in an estimated $38 million for fishermen, making that fishery’s revenue second only to lobster, the state’s top fishery.
