Officers from Fisheries and Oceans Canada, abbreviated as DFO from its previous name Department of Fisheries and Oceans, with officers from the Canada Border Services Agency, seized about 109 kg of elvers at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport on Wednesday evening. The elvers, estimated to be worth Can $500,000 (about U.S. $367,000), were to be shipped overseas. An investigation into possible violations of the Fisheries Act is underway, a press release from DFO said.
“The magnitude of this seizure is an important development,” Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and Canadian Coast Guard Diane Lebouthillier said. “It reflects all the work done by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, but also the team effort of a wide range of agencies and departments involved across government. Once again, our message is crystal clear: do not travel to Nova Scotia to illegally fish or export elvers this year, enforcement officers will be waiting for you.”
The seizure was the result of a coordinated operation involving officers from DFO’s Conservation & Protection Directorate and National Fisheries Intelligence Service, in cooperation with the CBSA Commercial Operations District and intelligence teams, the release said. The intelligence service was established in 2012 precisely to help with such investigation.
According to a report on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s website, elvers, or juvenile eels, also called glass eels because of their translucent appearance, weigh just a few grams and are less than 10 centimetres long, but can cost up to Can $5,000 a kg, more than lobsters, scallops or salmon, making them the most valuable fish by weight in Canada. The eels are typically flown to Asia where they are raised to maturity and sold for food and used in unagi dishes at sushi restaurants. With Asian and European eels endangered by overfishing, the industry has moved to the Atlantic coast of North America and the Caribbean islands, a recent blog post said.
On March 11, DFO announced that the elver fishery would not open this year because of conservation and safety concerns. Another reason was that last year’s elver fishing season in the provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick was plagued by intimidation and violence. The department said any individual caught fishing for elvers will face enforcement action under the Fisheries Act and the Maritime Provinces Fishery Regulations. Any acts of violence or harassment towards fishery officers would be reported to the appropriate police force, it added.
The public is encouraged to report any suspected unauthorized elver fishing, purchase, or sale by calling 1-800-565-1633 and selecting option 6, or contacting their local Conservation & Protection detachment, DFO said in the press statement.
