Statement regarding the status of the 2024 Elver fishery

February 13, 2024

Dartmouth, NS - Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is committed to a sustainable, orderly, and safe elver fishery that respects harvesters and Indigenous rights holders.

In recent years, the elver fishery has experienced a pattern of increasing and serious challenges, including conservation and safety concerns. DFO Conservation & Protection  inspections, observations, and intelligence-gathering indicate significant quantities of elver fished outside DFO authorization, jeopardizing conservation objectives for American eel in Canada, as well as the safety of those involved in the fishery.

Since the closure of the commercial elver fishery on April 15, 2023, DFO has been consulting with industry, First Nations, and stakeholders to chart a path forward for the future of the elver fishery. The department continues to work with these groups on the management changes needed to ensure a sustainable and safe elver fishery for all harvesters. These forthcoming changes will provide tools to better control unauthorized harvesting and to help manage the fishery in future years.

Today, the Minister instructed DFO to consult with licence holders, First Nations, and Indigenous organizations on the future of the 2024 elver fishery.

Once the 10-day comment period is over, and input has been considered, the Minister will make a decision on the 2024 fishery. That decision will be publicly announced.