Elvers
A close up of glass eels/elvers being measured. Photo: Penobscot Marine Museum.
The American eel is a fascinating fish native to Maine. While it spends much of its life in rivers and lakes, it begins and ends its life in the Atlantic Ocean's Sargasso Sea. After adult eels lay eggs and die, the young eels, called elvers, drift on currents to North America, migrating into Maine's rivers each spring.
Some eels stay near the coast, while others travel upstream to lakes and ponds, growing into yellow eels over 8 to 25 years. Once mature, they become silver eels and journey back to the Sargasso Sea to reproduce, completing their life cycle.
Maine has two main eel fisheries: one for elvers in spring and another for yellow eels. A third fishery for silver eels was closed in 2014 to protect the species. Elvers are highly valued in aquaculture, prompting Maine to enforce strict regulations to ensure sustainability and protect other fish species in its rivers. Protecting these rivers is essential for the continued migration of the American eel.
