June 4, 2024

Maine tribal fishermen lead eel restoration project

Paul Molyneaux

Guest Author:

Passamaquoddy fisherman, Erik Francis waits for the tide to ebb on the Penobscot River so that he can empty the elvers from his fyke net and transport them above the dam that impedes their passage. Francis will harvest full grown eels in the fall and tran

On a cool May morning after Maine tribes have harvested their 21 percent of Maine’s 9,688-pound elver quota, Passamaquoddy fisherman Erik Francis empties his fyke nets and pours a little less than two ounces of elvers and glass eels into a bucket. “Both tides are in daylight right now,” he says. “So, they don’t move too much. I’ll do better in a few days.”

As one of three tribal fishermen licensed to fish eels for the restoration project initiated by Chief Amkuwiposohehs “Pos” Bassett, Francis will transport the eels above two dams to lakes in Passamaquoddy territory.

Erik Francis shows off a catch of nine pounds of elvers from the Penobscot River, where he captured and released most of the eels for the restoration project. Wabanaki Photography photo.

The project not only aims to help get elvers over the dams, but also help mature eels get through the dams, which are far more dangerous for them as they often get turned into sushi when passing through spinning hydro-electric turbines. “I trap and release the eels daily,” says Francis. “Always in the river of origin. In the fall we plan to trap the full-grown eels, big ones that are ready to go down river and take them and release them below the dams so that they can swim to sea.”

What happens beyond that in an ocean being affected by climate is beyond the control of the tribe. “We’re doing our part,” says Fred Moore III, a long-time fisheries leader in fisheries among east coast Native Tribes. To expand the project, Moore is working with Maliseet and Mi’kmaq tribal members in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia through the newly formed Wabanki Fisheries Association to share the ideology and techniques for harvesting elvers and moving them to safety above artificial barriers. “We’re sharing our thinking that we must to approach this in a manner consistent with cultural values,” says Moore. “So, we’ve been talking to them and providing technical support.” But Moore reports that so far, the Maliseet and Mi’kmaq fishers have been cautious about capturing and releasing eels due to the threat of arrest.

Erik Francis releases his catch of eels daily. He has caught and released over 216 pounds of eels since May 6, all in their rivers of origin.Wabanaki Photography photo.

Shifting to the Penobscot River, Francis started catching over 10 pounds of elvers a day, and by the end of the project on June 3, had captured and released over 216 pounds of eels. “we estimate that as 195,200 elvers,” he says. While the eel project is self-funded by the tribal government and participants, Francis and other members of the Passamaquoddy Tribe are also working on clam and alewife restoration with funding from federal sources and outside NGOs.