Elver fishery shutdown a 'destruction of hope,' says Wolastoqey fisheries director

One Wolastoqey man says he spent thousands of dollars on gear to fish for elvers (baby eels) this year and worries he won't be able to recoup that money after the federal government shut down the elver fishery this past weekend.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) shut down the elver fishery in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia on April 15 for 45 days because of conservation and safety concerns, after reports of violence and overfishing by unauthorized harvesters.

This year was Brent Sacobie's first time trying to cash in on the lucrative industry, with prices reaching $5,000 a kilogram in 2022.

"I have four kids and I have a lot of mouths to feed," said Sacobie, who is from Bilijk, Kingsclear First Nation, 13 kilometres west of Fredericton.

He said he heard stories from friends about how great the fishery was so he invested money in dip nets, waders, coolers and gas to travel out to the estuaries.

Sacobie caught one-third of his allotted 1.5 kilogram quota before the shutdown.

Sacobie said on the rivers he fished he didn't see any violence and he wants to see Indigenous leadership, the commercial industry and the government come together to reopen the fishery.

"We all need financial stability in our lives and we all need that security," said Sacobie.

The elver fishery has grown in value in recent years. The elvers or baby eels are sold to markets in China and Japan where they are raised to adulthood for food. The elver season typically runs from mid-March until June. 

Patrick Polchies, fisheries director for Bilijk, said 68 people were registered to harvest elvers for his community.

He called the shutdown a "destruction of hope for so many people."

The Wolastoqey Nation was allotted 750 kilograms of quota to divide among its six communities, said Polchies.

Polchies said his community's 103 kilogram piece of that quota is a stark contrast to the more than 1,000 kilogram quota allotted to one commercial licence. There are nine commercial licences in Atlantic Canada.

In 2012, the American Eel was assessed as threatened by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, which is why Mi'kmaw Elder Gordon LaBillois applauds the shutdown.

"If they have ... the data to support what they're doing then I think they're doing the right thing," said LaBillois, from Ugpi'ganjig, Eel River Bar First Nation, 250 kilometres north of Moncton.

He said he's not an expert but so much can affect the eel population like climate change and development, he'd rather see the elver fishery slow down so the population can be studied.

He said he does feel for any moderate livelihood harvester affected and said a compromise would be to prioritize Indigenous interests on the eels for now.