Maine Eel Aquaculture Opportunity

Overview:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), under Addendum IV to the Interstate Fisheries Management Plan for American Eel, allows states to annually submit an aquaculture plan requesting up to 200 pounds of glass eels from within their waters for domestic aquaculture facilities, if certain criteria are met. The Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) would like to support Maine based aquaculture businesses that may be interested in utilizing this quota. DMR is seeking qualified applicants to work with the State to both acquire and utilize this quota, should it be approved by the ASMFC. The following describes the process for selecting qualified business(es) to participate in this opportunity and the expectations of selected applicant(s) and the DMR in advancing a plan.

Proposal Submittal:

Proposals must be received no later than 4:00 p.m. local time, on April 17, 2026. Proposals received after 4:00 pm on this date will be rejected. Proposals should be mailed to Corrin Flora, Maine Department of Marine Resources (21 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0021) OR sent electronically to [email protected].

Proposal Descriptions: Proposals should include the following information

• Name and Address of Business
• Contact person name, phone number, and email address
• Documentation of any prior approval of applicable permits for housing, handling, and selling eels
• Description of the facility, including the location in Maine, capacity of the facility in which the glass eels will be held and grown out, and a description of the husbandry methods that will be used (Only facilities located in the State of Maine are eligible for this opportunity)
• A short description of the markets the eels will be distributed to
• A resume of the applicant demonstrating academic qualifications and/or other experience in the aquaculture of freshwater fish
• Pounds of glass eels requested
• Availability to assist DMR in developing Maine's Aquaculture Plan for American eel required for submittal to the ASMFC by June 1st

Proposals should be brief but there is no page limit. Please feel free to provide attachments including business plans, resumes, or other pertinent information.

An ASMFC example of the level of detail that will be required to develop Maine's Aquaculture Plan for American eel (PDF file, 12 pages, 5.2 MB)

Applicant Selection:

An applicant or applicants will be selected to participate in this process based on an expert review panel of DMR employees. Criteria to be considered by reviewers include demonstrated aquaculture qualifications, business maturity and facility readiness, permits and regulatory compliance expectations, and ability to assist DMR in finalizing a proposal to the ASMFC. Since there is no direct financial arrangement or contract between DMR and the applicant, costs will not be considered.

Expectations:

The expectation is that the State of Maine and the selected applicant(s) would develop Maine's Aquaculture Plan for American eel, to be submitted for review by the ASMFC American Eel Technical Committee (TC), the ASMFC Law Enforcement Committee, and the ASMFC Eel Management Board. Aquaculture Plans, submitted by the Department and qualified applicants, must be submitted by June 1 of the preceding fishing year and approval will be determined by the Board by September 1. If approval is granted, the aquaculture business(es) would be granted quota for approved fisheries under the terms and conditions of the ASMFC and the DMR, as early as March 2027. The method of allocation and arrangement will be determined upon approval of the quota. The applicant will not be the harvester unless already approved to be so. However, the applicant will need to verify with the DMR that the quota is being harvested from acceptable waterways. Approval of a request for this quota does not guarantee approval of a request in future years. While the DMR intends on submitting a plan, DMR has no obligations to do so under this arrangement. It is important to note that this will be an annual process and while a single entity may be granted a full allocation in year one, in subsequent years other applications may be accepted. In this situation, the total allocation, if approved by the ASMFC, would be shared among those chosen.

If you have questions, please contact Corrin Flora at [email protected] or 207-446-8126.