Mi'kmaw elders concerned growing elver industry will harm adult eel populations

Some Mi'kmaw elders are concerned about the adult eel population as the industry harvesting baby eels, or elvers, grows.

Gordon LaBillois said his community Ugpi'ganjig, or Eel River Bar First Nation, about 250 kilometres north of Moncton, was named for its abundance of eels.

LaBillois,74, grew up fishing for adult eels.

"Whether you're spearing eels or fishing reels with a hook on line, it's trying to physically grab them from their habitat," he said.

"You're down there and trying to grab them behind their head because they have tremendous hauling power going backwards."

Now, LaBillois said eels are a rare treat for his community. He said he was taught you don't hunt the babies and he's worried about people overfishing the elvers.

"There's a market for that resource, and if the resource is there, well, there's people that are going to take advantage of that," he said.

The elver fishing industry operates in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia where fishers catch the baby eels in streams and rivers. The elvers are then shipped live to China and Japan markets where they're grown for food.

After the European eel supply crashed, prices rose. In 2015, elvers in the Maritimes were being sold for $4,685 a kilogram.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada has a commercial quota of 9,960 kilograms a season. In an attempt to get First Nations communities involved in the fishery, DFO took 14 per cent of quota from commercial licence holders and allocated it to nine First Nations in 2022.

This led to a Federal Court of Canada challenge by three existing commercial licence holders. A court decision is expected in May.

Supporting families

Some First Nations are entering the fishery with licence quotas, while other First Nations fishers are trying to harvest using treaty-based rights. In 1999, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that Donald Marshall Jr. had the treaty right to hunt, fish and gather in pursuit of a moderate livelihood.

Fabian Francis, the moderate livelihood co-ordinator for Eskasoni First Nation, about 270 kilometres east of Halifax, said he grew up harvesting eels with his dad.

"I want it to be able to be sustained throughout, you know, my children for generations," said Francis.

He began harvesting elvers last year and sees it as a way to earn money for his family. Francis said he caught about 11 kilograms of elvers, earning about $55,000 last season. He said many fishers have come to see the elver fishery like hitting the lotto.

He said it's no secret there's a lack of jobs in his community. Statistics Canada reported a 25 per cent unemployment rate for Eskasoni in 2016.

Francis said 120 people from his community are registered with the moderate livelihood fishery. He said the fishers are waiting on approval from Eskasoni band council and DFO to launch the season.

He said when he's waded into the rivers and streams he sees a healthy eel population but if it changes at any point he would be willing to stop.

'It's not about money'

In 2020, DFO shut down the commercial elver industry because of an influx of Mi'kmaw moderate livelihood fishers. DFO said it's trying to maintain the elver population by channeling all elver fishing through licence-based fishing.

"Conservation is our highest priority, and we continue to work with First Nations to advance their treaty rights," said DFO in an emailed statement to CBC News.

The elver season runs from March until June, while the Mi'kmaw fish for adult eels in the winter, spring and summer. DFO said it regularly monitors the health of both populations and sets quotas based on that data.

Kerry Prosper from Paq'tnkek Mi'kmaw Nation, about 180 kilometres northeast of Halifax, brings youth out on the ice to spear eels as a way to pass down traditional knowledge.

In years past, Prosper said they could catch hundreds of eels but on his last trip they caught only three.

He said he's concerned that eels are being fished both as adults and as babies and he thinks the elver fishery needs to slow down so the eel population can be studied.

"If you have enough food and we know it's going to last seven generations, OK, maybe we'll talk about the commercial fishery," said Prosper.

He said by slowing down the elver industry, maybe the eel population will be stronger for the next generation.

"It's not about money, it's about continuing the way of life and traditions and our health," said Prosper.

"Eels are very healthy. They're sacred to us."