Thirteen out of 2,600 hopeful fishermen win the 2022 Maine elver fishing lottery
Elver eels, commonly called glass eels, have a translucent body that averages three inches in length. They swim the currents in brackish water at night during high tides. (File photo by Ryan Leighton/Boothbay Register)
Elver eels, commonly called glass eels, have a translucent body that averages three inches in length. They swim the currents in brackish water at night during high tides. (File photo by Ryan Leighton/Boothbay Register)
In 2020, elvers remained one of the most valuable species harvested in Maine, with harvesters earning $5,067,521. And that was despite a decrease in per-pound value of more than $1,500. In 2021, Maine's elver fishery rebounded on the strength of a per pound value of more than $1,800. The overall landed value of more than $16 million was an increase of more that $10 million over the previous year.
Now, the elver season is ready to begin again March 22, with the Maine Dept. of Marine Resources identifying 13 fishermen who won the elver harvest letter. More than 2,600 people applied for a 2022 harvester license.
The overall quota for the 2022 season, established by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, remains at 9,688 pounds.
The Legislature also set a cap of 425 state-issued elver licenses. The 13 available licenses this year are the result of licenses that were not renewed in 2020 and 2021.
The lottery winners are:
- Philip Carroll - Hancock
- Mary Havener - Ellsworth
- Chase Kennedy - Milbridge
- Christina Dame - Addison
- Dana Maker - Lubec
- Belinda Mcdonald - Jonesport
- Curtis Gott - Trenton
- Peter Ricker - Perry
- Robert Hodgkins - West Rockport
- Joy Macgregor - Gouldsboro
- Mark Patryn - Machias
- Lydia Alley - Jonesport
- Mark Piper - Hancock
The lottery, authorized by the Legislature in 2017, is available to Maine residents who are at least 15 years of age by the start of the 2022 season, and who are eligible to purchase an elver license in 2022 because they have not had their right to obtain an elver license suspended.
As in previous lotteries, each new license holder will receive a minimum of four pounds of quota, which is made available from individual quota associated with licenses that were not renewed.
They will each be authorized to choose either a dip net or a fyke net for harvesting.
Each individual was allowed to submit up to five applications at a cost of $35 per application. The department received 8,143 applications from 2,637 individual applicants.
Twenty-five dollars of each application will be deposited into the Eel and Elver Management Fund, which is used to support research, management, administration and enforcement of Maine’s eel and elver fisheries.
The remaining $10 dollars of each application will be used to support administration of the lottery. The total revenue generated by the lottery was $284,970.
The Department has notified the winners, who have thirty days to apply for a license. This years elver season begins at noon on March 22 and goes until noon on June 7.
