New York charges tribal fishermen with illegal elver poaching

Friday, April 25, 2014  

The state of New York has charged several tribal members with poaching elvers.

Fred Moore III, the fisheries coordinator for the Passamaquoddy Tribe of Maine (Indian Township and Pleasant Point), , is among those who have been cited. He said he wasn't even fishing for elvers, or baby eels, when he was approached by New York Department of Environmental Conservation officials.

Moore was in New York to help the Unkechaug Nation develop an eel management plan. Fishing for adult eels is legal in the state.

“We’re simply not going to allow competing jurisdictions to push natives or native cultures out of existence,” Moore told The Bangor Daily News.

Some members of the Unkechaug Nation were also charged. The tribe is recognized by the state and has a state-recognized reservation on Long Island.

Fishing for elvers is legal in Maine but the state has been trying to limit the tribal catch. Baby eels fetch between $400 to $600 per pound, the Daily News reported.

Get the Story:
Tribal official facing charges in NY vows to take elver debate beyond Maine (The Bangor Daily News 4/25)
Former Passamaquoddy representative charged with poaching elvers in New York (The Bangor Daily News 4/19)