Authorities in Maine say two people have been arrested and charged with illegally possessing baby eels after officials found them taking the fish from a stream.
Maine has a fishery for baby eels, which are called elvers and are valuable as seed stock for aquaculture companies. The fishery is tightly regulated and requires a license to participate in.
The Bangor Daily News reports two people from Washington County were arrested last week for poaching the elvers from a stream in Cumberland. A spokesman for the Maine Marine Patrol says 25-year-old Saucony Apt and 26-year-old Tabitha Carroll of Perry were charged with misdemeanor possession of elvers without a license.
It was unclear if the pair is represented by an attorney. Elvers are often worth more than $2,000 per pound to fishermen.