PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - Maine’s elver fishing season is entering its final day as fishermen near their quota for the year.
Elvers are baby eels that are sold to Asian aquaculture companies who raise them to maturity and use them as food. Some end up back in the United States as sushi.
The fishing season ends Tuesday evening. Elvers are one of the most lucrative fisheries in New England on a per-pound basis and 2016 has been a strong year.
Maine officials say fishermen had caught more than 9,300 pounds of elvers by Monday night. The quota for the year is a little less than 9,700 pounds. The elvers have been worth $1,435 per pound, more than any other marine species in the state.
Maine is the only state with a significant elver fishery.
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