Wriggling gold: Fishermen who catch baby eels for $2,000 a pound hope for many years of fishing

The baby eels, also called elvers, were worth $2,009 a pound last year – more than 400 times more than lobster, Maine’s signature seafood.

Competitive Maine elver fishing lottery offers most licenses since 2013

Sixteen people will gain entry in this year's intense bid for one of the most lucrative fish stocks in the state, but the success rate is still very low.

Fishing regulators say no to catching more elvers, a most valuable species

The baby eels are harvested from rivers and streams in Maine, sold to aquaculture companies and raised to maturity, then resold as food.

Regulators to consider allowing Maine fishermen to catch more valuable baby eels

The eels are typically worth more than $2,000 per pound because of their value to Asian aquaculture companies, which raise them to maturity and sell them for use in Japanese restaurants around the world.

Maine baby eel industry had one of its best seasons, netting $20 million

The per-pound price of $2,162 was the third-highest in state history.

Woe to fish and chips: Haul of Atlantic cod, once abundant, reaches new low

Cod are the fish of choice for fish and chips in the U.S., but the collapse of the industry has left the country dependent on imports.

Value of Maine’s baby eels ends the season on a high note

The fishery is one of the most valuable in the country on a per-pound basis, but was badly hurt by the pandemic.

Coronavirus concerns push back Maine elver season

The state will delay the start of the fishery's $20 million-a-year season by at least 2 weeks.

Though Maine’s lobster harvest was smallest in 9 years, value remained steady

The average per-pound price in 2019 was a whopping $4.82, the highest since Maine began tracking lobster hauls back in 1880.

Fishermen of baby eels expect high price as stocks dry up