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Illegal Baby Eel Harvesting Raises Concerns Over Enforcement in Nova Scotia

Licensed fisher Stanley King claims unlicensed activity on the Ingram River exceeds catch limits, while the Fisheries Department cites resource constraints in real-time enforcement.

Elvers are juvenile American eels.
Indigenous fishers dip for elvers on the Hubbards River, in Hubbards, N.S., on April 15, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Kelly Clark
Alleged poachers catch baby eels, or elvers, on the Ingram River in southwestern Nova Scotia earlier this week.
Baby eel, or elver, licence holders are calling upon Ottawa to enforce waters more strictly to stop poaching. The harvesters in this photo, taken in Nova Scotia Tuesday, are allegedly catching the creatures illegally.

Overview

  • Stanley King, a licensed baby eel fisher, has submitted videos and images of unlicensed harvesting on the Ingram River to federal authorities but reports no immediate enforcement action.
  • King alleges that the total allowable catch for the Ingram River has been exceeded, raising concerns about regulatory compliance and conservation efforts.
  • The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) confirmed the licensed catch limit for the Ingram River has been reached and stated that fishery officers conduct regular patrols but face resource limitations for real-time responses.
  • The lucrative elver fishery, with prices reaching $1,500 per kilogram, continues to attract black-market activity despite federal warnings of prosecution for unlicensed fishing.
  • The restructured quota system, which allocated half of commercial quotas to Indigenous groups as part of reconciliation efforts, remains a source of tension between commercial and Indigenous fishers.