Baby eels remain one of America’s most valuable fish after strong year in Maine

By PATRICK WHITTLE
Associated Press

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Fishermen in the U.S.’s only commercial-scale fishing industry for valuable baby eels once again had a productive season searching for the tiny fish. Baby eels, called elvers, are often worth more than $2,000 per pound because of how valuable they are to Asian aquaculture companies. They’re raised to maturity so they can be used in Japanese food, some of which is sold in the U.S. in unagi dishes at sushi restaurants. The elvers have again been worth more than $2,000 pounds at the docks this year, according to the Maine Department of Marine Resources. The price was a tick below last year’s, but higher than the previous two.