Canada plans crackdown as trade data shows elver exports were 4 times the legal catch in 2022

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) plans to crack down on the illegal fishery for baby eels, also known as elvers, in the Maritimes next year by creating separate possession-and-export licences to track the catch from river to airport.

The effort comes as newly reported trade data shows a huge surge in elver exports leaving Canada, reaching an all time high of 43 tonnes in 2022 — four times the authorized Canadian total allowable catch.

American eel are considered threatened in Canada, but the authorized Maritime fishery is called sustainable.

The tiny, translucent elvers, sometimes called glass eels, are Canada's most valuable seafood species by weight, fetching up to $5,000 a kilogram.

Almost all of it goes to China where it is grown to adulthood for food in aquaculture facilities.

Canadian exports are part of an "exceptional" increase in American elver shipments to fill the vacuum caused by restrictions imposed on the trade of European eels due to population declines, says researcher Hiromi Shiraishi, of Chuo University in Tokyo.

'It is historic,' researcher says

She coauthored a recent paper published in the journal Marine Policy that used customs data to track live American elver shipments into East Asia.

Imports from the Americas increased from two tonnes in 2004 to 157 tonnes in 2022.

"It is historic. The sudden increase in exploitation may lead to further depression of the resources without any intervention," Shiraishi told CBC News from Tokyo.

Canadian shipments went from 1.67 tonnes in 2002 to 31 tonnes in 2019, 19 tonnes in 2020 and 19 tonnes in 2021.

Shiraisai says some of those shipments are Caribbean American eels shipped through Canada.

"Also another possible reason is, of course, an illegal harvest and trade. But we don't have the information about the scale," Shiraishi.

Trade data concerning, licence holder says

Trade data for 2023 is not yet available, she says.

Commercial licence holder Stanley King of Atlantic Elver Fishery in Nova Scotia says, if accurate, the trade data is concerning.

"It definitely encompasses a lot of illegally harvested elvers, the exact number of which we don't know. And it also highlights a different problem, which is the relabelling of Caribbean fish as Canadian. And we've asked the DFO to solve that problem for us for a few years now," King told CBC News.

This year Fisheries and Oceans was forced to shut down the authorized fishery when poachers overran Maritime rivers leading to threats and violence. The closure order did not stop poaching.

Estimates of the size of the unauthorized catch in 2023 vary from a few tonnes to over 20 tonnes.

The actual number is unknown.

DFO wants new regulations by March 2024

To avoid a repeat of the chaos and deter the illegal trade, DFO wants new regulations in place by March 2024, ahead of the spring elver migration and fishing season.

According to the DFO website, new licence conditions could stipulate where and when elvers can be possessed and disclosure of records to DFO.

Export licence conditions could include a requirement to notify DFO when a container of elvers will be packaged for export and allowing officials to verify the contents destined for export.

Current elver licence holders will need to have an export licence to ship elvers outside of Canada.

"The licence holders welcome these new changes, and we think it's an important first step, but are skeptical that it will make any real difference for the upcoming season," said King.

"These new licences put forth by DFO will keep the legal people legal, but unfortunately the illegal harvesters don't care if they have that licence or not, so they'll continue.

'Boots on the ground enforcement' needed

"We believe that that's mainly done through mislabeling. We think that a lot of these elvers that are caught illegally are fish that are shipped out as lobster."

He says "boots on the ground enforcement" is needed

A senior official with the Canada Border Services Agency told a parliamentary committee last month the agency looked, but did not find any illegal shipments of elvers leaving Canada in 2023.

DFO did not make anyone available for an interview. But a spokersperson for the department issued a statement by email, after this story was published, saying they intend to increase regulation of the fishery.

"The elver market is currently faced with increasing levels of unauthorized harvest, sale and export and laundering of unlawfully harvested Canadian elvers in the legal supply chain, driven by their high market price, the low cost of the required fishing equipment, and the ease of capture and concealment," the statement said.

The Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaw Chiefs represents First Nations with moderate livelihood elver fisheries approved by DFO.

"The assembly has no comment on the proposed regulations at this time," spokesperson Crystal Dorey said in an email.