PORTLAND, Maine - Federal regulators will soon approve rules for next year's Maine baby eel fishing season.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's American Eel Management Board is set to approve a new quota and other rules on Oct. 27. A key federal panel will provide recommendations to the board in about a week.
Regulations are being crafted as the fishery grows in value. The fishery grew in value to $1,866.72 per pound in 2012 after previously exceeding $350 per pound only once in 18 years. Maine's elver fishermen caught about 10,000 pounds of the baby eels against a quota of 11,749 pounds last season, which was the first year in which a quota applied.
A spokesman for the Maine Department of Marine Resources says the state is advocating for the status quo.