BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 4, 2026
The price of Maine’s baby eels has hit a 16-year low for a statewide average of $286 per pound this month, the lowest such average since global demand made prices for Maine’s eels soar in 2011. The average price per pound in Maine is roughly $600 lower than last year, when it was $891 per pound. The state’s fishery for baby eels — also known as elvers or glass eels — peaked in 2018 at $2,366 per pound, according to historical data recorded by the department. The majority of American baby eels caught in Maine waters are shipped live to eastern Asia, where they’re kept in aquaculture ponds until they’re fully grown and then sold for seafood.