In Canada, poached elvers are still getting exported despite DFO busts and closed season

Published 2024년 4월 25일

Tridge summary

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has arrested 95 people and seized 73.6 kilograms of elvers, along with 21 vehicles, as part of its crackdown on illegal elver fishing in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick this year. Despite these efforts, illegal elvers are still being exported to Asia, with large quantities leaving Canadian airports unchecked. The lack of import/export permit requirements and unregulated traceability have been criticized, especially after internal DFO emails revealed past poaching and violence in the industry. The plant manager of Shelburne Elver, a co-operative, is facing personal bankruptcy due to the season's closure, and DFO is developing new regulations to address these issues, although a timeline for their implementation is not provided.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

Even as DFO has begun arresting illegal elver harvesters, the baby eels are still leaving Canadian airports under the federal government’s nose enroute to markets in Asia. Late Saturday night, Fisheries and Oceans Canada officers arrested five more people for illegally fishing elvers in the Meteghan area. They seized a vehicle used by the five, all residents of Maine, 3.448 kilograms of elvers, a vehicle and fishing gear. According to a written statement, they seized another 13.5 kilograms the same night caught by others, though there is no word on whether charges will be laid in relation to that seizure. All the elvers were returned alive to the river. So far this year, 95 people have been arrested, and 21 vehicles and 73.6 kilograms of elvers seized by DFO officers in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. DFO did not say how many of those arrested have been charged or whether the Public Prosecution Service of Canada is prosecuting them. ‘Why do I have to lose my job?’ “I think it’s ...

Source: Saltwire