Amid chaos of unlicensed baby eel harvest on East Coast, fisheries science suffers

CITYnews halifax \ By The Canadian Press

Indigenous and non-Indigenous baby eel harvesters are lamenting the fact that a long-running study on the species has been cancelled because of unlicensed, chaotic fishing.

Harvester Stanley King says illegal fishing for baby eels in Nova Scotia has prevented the annual study on the East River by commercial harvesters, the federal Fisheries Department and a non-profit group.

The federal government closed the fishery for baby eels in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia for 45 days on April 15 after reports of poaching and of violence among fishers _ but illegal fishing continues.

Meanwhile, the Wolastoqey Nation _ which also holds licences to fish the eels _ says it regrets the fact that important data about the health of the baby eel population in Nova Scotia is not being recorded this season.

Chief Allan Polchies Junior of Sitansisk First Nation says he is also disappointed that the federal Fisheries Department hasn’t provided support for a study on the health of baby eels stocks in southwestern New Brunswick.

Baby eels _ known as elvers _ are worth more than $4,000 per kilogram; they are fished at night and flown live to Asia where they are grown for food.