Penobscot: River of Gold

How much money can you make with a fyke net and a license for elvers?  No one is sure but rumors abound;  $22,000 in one night according to a Bangor Daily News article, but that pales beside $120,000 reported in a PBS Nature Episode, The Mystery of Eels.

Maine is authorized licenses for up to 744 fisherman and 1242 pieces of gear.   Most of the licenses go to prior year license holders, a lottery is held for the few new licenses available from those who choose not to renew their license (or are banned from renewal.)  This year only four new licenses were issued by the state.

Maine planned to issue a total of 696 licenses, either itself or through the four sovereign nations.  However one tribe, the Passamaquoddy, opted to issue more licenses and cap their total harvest instead.   Resolution of that issue is far beyond my pay grade, but one thing is for sure: there are a lot more nets out on the water.  Where last year there was perhaps one fyke net at the Bangor waterfront, this year there are nine, on the Bangor side alone, and more on the Brewer side.

One crew is finishing up, while a nearby net awaits a lower tide

Fyke nets are placed at various levels of the river, and as the water level drops, cars and trucks appear near the net. The drivers don their waders and line up 5 gallon buckets.  As onlookers gather, the license holders gather their catch from the net, then reset the traps for the next tide.

These don't look like prime locations.  Still at $1600 a pound, even 1/4 pound  is a good day's wages. 

Sustainable?  Hard to imagine.