Baby eel fisher calls for enforcement against illegal harvesting on N.S. river

A licensed baby eel fisher says he’s been sending evidence to the federal Fisheries Department of illegal fishing on a Nova Scotia river, but he says Ottawa is not acting.

Stanley King, manager of Atlantic Elver Fishery, says he has sent videos and images of unlicensed fishers on the Ingram River, about 40 kilometres southwest of Halifax.

However, King says he’s unaware of any fisheries officers showing up at the location to enforce the law.

He says he believes the total allowable catch of the tiny eels — which have been selling for about $1,500 per kilogram — has been far exceeded on the river.

Atlantic Elver Fishery is among the group of commercial licence holders who have lost half their quota to Indigenous fishers without compensation from the federal government.

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The federal Fisheries Department changed the quota system after closing the fishing season last year due to chaos and violence on the rivers, and said unlicensed fishers would be prosecuted.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2025.