PORTLAND, Maine - Maine's baby eel fishermen might see a slightly reduced quota in 2015.
A federal regulatory panel is recommending a quota of 9,688 pounds of elvers next year. That would be a slight reduction from the quota of 11,749 pounds this year, the first time a quota was imposed. A spokeswoman for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission says the number reflects the amount of elvers caught in Maine this year.
The panel's recommendation will go to the American Eel Management Board, which is expected to vote on the recommendations next week at a meeting in Connecticut.
The fishermen's catch topped 18,000 pounds in 2012 and 2013. The fishery has grown exponentially and is now Maine's second-most-valuable fishery, after lobsters.
