冻品攻略

Canada raises elver quota by 22%, illegal fishing and regulatory conflicts intensify

Source: 冻品攻略2026-04-09 08:000 views0 comments

Due to changes in WeChat's rules, we welcome you to add the Frozen Food Guide official account as a starred account, or click "Like" or "Wow" at the bottom of the article, to see the exciting content pushed by Frozen Food Guide every day

2026 Squid Trade Data and Risk Observation Report

Analysis Report on China's Squid Product Export Data for January and February 2026

Analysis Report on China's Squid and Cuttlefish Product Import Data for January and February 2026

China Market Aquatic Product Import and Export Trade Data

Vietnam Scallop Industry Survey Report

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has announced that the total allowable catch (TAC) for elvers (juvenile American eels) in 2026 will be raised to 12,180 kg, an increase of 22% from the previous 9,960 kg. The new fishing season is expected to open in early April.

Elvers are a key seedling resource for global aquaculture and are mainly exported to China for the farming stage. The quota increase comes against the backdrop of relatively high levels of resource migration in recent years, but actual market supply has long been affected by illegal fishing.

Divergence emerges over quota allocation

Of this year's quota, 50% will be allocated to Indigenous groups in Canada's Maritime provinces. However, some Indigenous communities have not accepted this arrangement.

Some communities have clearly stated that they will carry out self-managed fishing activities and will not accept the DFO regulatory system; a few communities have directly given up participating in the fishery, citing increased pressure on resource conservation and the sensitive state of the elver population.

Previously, some Indigenous groups had publicly stated that, based on treaty rights, the federal government's fisheries management is not binding on them, and they have conducted independent fishing on that basis.

Enforcement strengthened, illegal chains remain

In response to unlicensed fishing, DFO has made clear that all fishing without a license will face enforcement penalties.

In 2025, Canada significantly strengthened enforcement, with more than 100 arrests and 65 prosecutions over the year. At the same time, new rules were introduced requiring all elvers to be licensed during possession, transport and export, and establishing a full-chain traceability system.

However, in practice, regulatory loopholes remain. Although officials acknowledge large-scale unreported fishing, no illegal elvers have been seized through airport channels.

Trade data further reflect the "distortion" of supply. In 2025, Hong Kong imported 12,966 kg of live elvers labeled as originating from Canada, while the officially recorded legal catch was only 7,710 kg, a clear gap.

Industry divergence intensifies

Industry organizations support the quota increase, believing that elver migration has been strong in recent years and that the resource base has improved.

However, at the operational level, some Indigenous groups are not participating in the quota system or the traceability system, and their fishing time, areas and quantities are not included in unified management. This "fishing outside the system" weakens the effectiveness of the existing regulatory framework and also puts compliant companies in an unfair competitive environment.

Some industry figures have pointed out that if regulators fail to compel all fishing entities to join the traceability system, the current regime will be difficult to make binding.