America's Hottest Black Market: Inside the Eel Gold Rush

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  • Опубликовано: 29 ноя 2024

Комментарии • 807

  • @Starkada
    @Starkada 4 года назад +514

    "The money changed my life, I bought a four wheeler" lol

    • @marcosorduno9203
      @marcosorduno9203 4 года назад +12

      Jezz no one can take a joke

    • @LosCristeros317
      @LosCristeros317 4 года назад +6

      American Pride agreed. Although, it’s disproportionately found in liberals. Lmao.

    • @matthewgribble939
      @matthewgribble939 4 года назад +2

      Adam Stark 4 wheelers r cool,......

    • @ZeeshanMuhammadX
      @ZeeshanMuhammadX 4 года назад +10

      @American Pride: Rather ironic that you misspelt Satoshi Kanazawa
      's name. He's a known bad-faith researcher who uses P-value fishing in an effort to produce research that white nationalist love to cite. He repeatedly slings racist drivel dressed up in pseudo-scientific language and gullible folks, such as yourself, eat it up.

    • @r.d.9399
      @r.d.9399 4 года назад +6

      @American Pride Democrats are domestic enemies. It has gone past politics at this point.

  • @matthewbrooker
    @matthewbrooker 4 года назад +161

    Eel collapse has already happened in Western Europe. What was once a poor man's staple is now almost non-existent except in luxury restaurants. US, learn from Europe, start rationing tbe licences.

    • @RainCity3rd
      @RainCity3rd 4 года назад +8

      nah just like cod, salmon and all the rest no one learns because the incentives we create are self fulfilling. The more rare something is the higher the price and the more popular it gets. I watch our west coast salmon being managed to extinction....

    • @RainCity3rd
      @RainCity3rd 4 года назад +3

      @johnny casarez seriously? I was surprised Oregon would be adding fish when Washington and BC are doing for terribly. A quick Google: 2017 Chinook caught down 40% from prior yr. 2014 to 17 down 80%. Much of the coast closed to salmon fishing. This is from the Oregon department fish and wildlife.
      It seems about as dire as up North. Now that said in bc we have disasters but we also have some healthy stocks further north that while not great are not in desperation. Still over all, it's a pretty grim picture on average as things are getting worse by far.

    • @JohnJames.
      @JohnJames. 4 года назад +2

      @@RainCity3rd , I agree. I'm in lower mainland British Columbia, we closed fishing for chum and pink, and of course sockeye. I see the growing trend of , just taking females for the roe, for steelhead fishing. So many gutted fish off the trails. I've watched it get worse every year for the last 10 years

    • @RainCity3rd
      @RainCity3rd 4 года назад +4

      @@JohnJames. I'm not sure it's better than it was before but the fish handling is super bad. Embarrassed to see fish dragged up flipping on the rocks 10ft from the water covered in sand while some guy gets his camera out just to stick his boot on the fish to hold it down for a clear shot. I'm not sure what it was like back in the day, but it's certainly not good these days. The annual boxing day steelhead fishing derby turned in only a single fish this yr...

    • @2011blueman
      @2011blueman 4 года назад

      Maine does a very good job managing wildlife stocks (e.g. lobster's, moose, bear, etc.)

  • @masterofpureawesome
    @masterofpureawesome 4 года назад +17

    It's amazing the patience that must go into these videos. Footage from 2017 and it's just now seeing the light of day in 2020. Commendable.

    • @wegapaul3616
      @wegapaul3616 4 года назад

      Editing video productions is a serious nightmare...
      I'm amazed people do it actually...it's terrible.
      Thanks for the acknowledgement.
      You are intelligent and a Lord.

  • @ajpearl2075
    @ajpearl2075 4 года назад +139

    As long as the money is there and the people don't have better economic situations the problem will exist.

    • @janethagaman1998
      @janethagaman1998 4 года назад +3

      AJ: As much as it pains me to agree, your comment was right on.

    • @Auriflamme
      @Auriflamme 4 года назад +8

      Until the eels become so critically endangered that the fishery collapses and you get what happened at the end of the gold-rush - foreclosures and ghost towns.

    • @toomanyaccounts
      @toomanyaccounts 2 года назад

      the problem is they need to ban the harvesting of the babies. only the adults should be harvested and go to Japan. anyone selling the babies gets fines and the foreign buyers of the babies get put in prison for decades.

  • @wind-solar
    @wind-solar 4 года назад +192

    Former gov't employee now runs the eel racket. Go figure.

  • @amirbiogene
    @amirbiogene 4 года назад +198

    American Eel is endangered...yet it’s still being fished LEGALY as well as illegally, especially during a juvenile stage... when do we learn our lesson about eradicating species and collapsing ecosystems!!?

    • @zeitgeistx5239
      @zeitgeistx5239 4 года назад +2

      Then you'd better tell the Japanese to stop eating their favorite food. Over exploitation and climate change means Japanese demand is driving the global trade for elvers.

    • @kimthor3903
      @kimthor3903 4 года назад +12

      The day the rich move to live in a space station and us poor bastards are stuck to this dying planet that's when we realize

    • @ajpearl2075
      @ajpearl2075 4 года назад +4

      @Ville It mentions that all of the "elvers" are sold to Japan and other East Asian nations where they are raised to adulthood before being eaten.

    • @marcosorduno9203
      @marcosorduno9203 4 года назад +1

      Well into we lear how to farm it better

    • @audreyandlinCompany
      @audreyandlinCompany 4 года назад

      The Chinese like them dried or fresh. I see them in the market all the time.

  • @ZosKia523
    @ZosKia523 4 года назад +71

    As a native of georgia, i always loved finding an eelnon a trotline. The meat was always delicious. I've wondered why i dont see them the way i did as a child. Now, i know. That's sad.

    • @zeitgeistx5239
      @zeitgeistx5239 4 года назад +12

      You can thank Japan's insatiable appetite for Unagi.

    • @Okraknife
      @Okraknife 4 года назад

      I think I've only caught one in my life.

  • @NavamNiles
    @NavamNiles 4 года назад +128

    The tragedy of the commons.

  • @maryannlarsen1727
    @maryannlarsen1727 4 года назад +85

    They should have a season opening and closing to help the eels recover in their populations

    • @xaviermccloud4586
      @xaviermccloud4586 4 года назад +1

      @Daren Shelton White Americans are greedy though. Look at aby industry who always seems to be there first, even industry they don't belong in first.

    • @ferdinandcarson6732
      @ferdinandcarson6732 4 года назад +2

      Maryann Larsen It’s ALL about the mighty $ and nothing more also jobs are probably scarce up in Maine.

    • @-Uranos-
      @-Uranos- 4 года назад

      @Paul MacLean petty but a harsh reality. Im betting you arent black or a dark latino..try those shoes and tell me how petty reality is.

    • @Inertia888
      @Inertia888 4 года назад

      @Paul MacLean /whoosh 🤦‍♂️

    • @kennyburke9698
      @kennyburke9698 4 года назад

      Maryann Larsen they do Hav seasons

  • @jctai100
    @jctai100 4 года назад +40

    Cod, tuna, certain mushrooms, now eels.....nothing new here.

  • @forum666
    @forum666 4 года назад +47

    "Operation Broken Glass" .. Alright, I will hand it to you.. excellent operation name

  • @offmeds2nite
    @offmeds2nite 4 года назад +41

    There's probably an intermediate solution involving capping catches, as has been done in other fisheries by the US fish and wildlife service for decades. The species need not be registered endangered, but the overfishing should be kept in check with sustainable fishing practices with adequate regulations. It's probably not what these fisherman will want, but it's a lot better than the alternatives.

    • @gridcaster
      @gridcaster 4 года назад +5

      change the law to reflect conservation goals....tax the legit market to pay for law enforcement....use law enforcement to crack the poachers.
      or...do nothing and let the whole system collapse resulting in out of work legit fishermen and with a nearly zeroed out population of eels in Maine.
      the problem tends to be that even as profitability falls due to the low population you don't see people leave the "industry" to go do something else. mostly this is a cultural thing. hard nose blue collar fishermen in Maine work HARDER as the money dries up...resulting in even more slide.

    • @RainCity3rd
      @RainCity3rd 4 года назад +2

      This would take public support but unfortunately the price of these are so high that it would be really hard to get that. The politicians are voted in by the people. These are poor people putting food on their tables, they are not thinking about 3 generations from now they think about their next meal, rightly or wrongly. It takes a lot of heart to go against that for the greater good. Its a tough one, but needs to be done and the longer the wait the harder the regulations will have to be.

    • @alynewlun6956
      @alynewlun6956 3 года назад

      One of the biggest problems is there heading to China. The last thing our greedy top politicians wanna do is piss them off. They'd sell off every last one and blame it on global warming. In reality what needs to be done is stop fishing for a couple years to let populations grow. Every wild animals numbers keep dwindling, while human populations keep exploding. We need to concentrate more on farm raised proteins. 30 years ago I could catch three stripers in 2 hrs now I'm lucky to catch 1 in two weeks.

    • @toomanyaccounts
      @toomanyaccounts 2 года назад

      @@alynewlun6956 heading to china to be grown. keep them here and grow. set up farms to grow the glass eels and only harvest the adults.

  • @mxbass1036
    @mxbass1036 4 года назад +91

    I hope this video doesn't give people the idea to go into the eel business.

    • @TheRealCaptainFreedom
      @TheRealCaptainFreedom 4 года назад +11

      Less competition for you ha ha.

    • @xAlexZifko
      @xAlexZifko 4 года назад +26

      too late i just laid down $500k on an eel farm in nicaragua. the guy who emailed me about it seemed very credible and bitcoin made the transaction quick and easy!

    • @a.rodgers6111
      @a.rodgers6111 4 года назад +2

      @@xAlexZifko lmfao can i buy in?

    • @xAlexZifko
      @xAlexZifko 4 года назад +5

      @@a.rodgers6111 sure just send your payment to bc1qg40n93s68zp6dkrcyff5axk0vwucftvjtjvg3s and ill cut you in!

    • @cristhianmarchan8379
      @cristhianmarchan8379 4 года назад +4

      I’m quitting my job today n moving over there fore sure I want in the eel business

  • @BatCaveOz
    @BatCaveOz 4 года назад +102

    Circa 07:02 Q - "How do you stay awake?" A - "Drive the coffee to me."
    Me - "That and meth... lots of meth."

    • @travislangholz1026
      @travislangholz1026 4 года назад +4

      BatCaveOz 😂😂that’s what I told the wife when he said that

    • @KevinP32270
      @KevinP32270 4 года назад +2

      OMG...i thought the same thing lol

    • @robertcaviness5300
      @robertcaviness5300 4 года назад +3

      For sure that guys a text book burn out doper, it’s almost like they asked him that question on purpose

    • @thelittleittybittypityshow6380
      @thelittleittybittypityshow6380 4 года назад +2

      There’s never enough meth The problem is all the tweakers that are smokin it all up, or slammin it in, never stop to take a hit or two of some weed. Stress or chronic, they just need to have a pot puffin here and there to take the edge off

    • @JamesBC524
      @JamesBC524 4 года назад +1

      Sucks that he’s probably poaching them just to buy the meth

  • @MB1z
    @MB1z 4 года назад +52

    This is so interesting. I had no idea about any money for eels.

    • @mtl-ss1538
      @mtl-ss1538 4 года назад +2

      Very similar to "White Bait" fishing in New Zealand.!!! the only unregulated fisheries over here
      All cash @ about $50 a pound.!!!
      until they get into the commercial market when 15% tax is applied.!!!

    • @loganreidy7055
      @loganreidy7055 2 года назад

      Unfortunately eel is delicious

  • @Drofthing
    @Drofthing 4 года назад +18

    The real question is how much are the Eels really worth. If they are willing to pay that much for a pound, how much are the people overseas making?

    • @TwinTurboZach
      @TwinTurboZach 4 года назад +2

      Its because they grow much larger and are worth more then. Theres a larger market in asian countries for eel as food than the US.

    • @Drofthing
      @Drofthing 4 года назад +2

      I understand. My point was they are clearly worth more than what they are paying these fishermen, otherwise they wouldn't be giving the people at the "bottom" of the pyramid $1500 per pound, that's all.
      So again, how much are the people at the "top" of the pyramid making off these eels if they are able to afford paying $1500 to the people at the "bottom"?

    • @TwinTurboZach
      @TwinTurboZach 4 года назад +1

      The asian countries are paying them, but thats the thing. Its a product. You cant buy/sell things at JUST under the price of what they will actually be that the consumer pays. It just wouldnt be profitable at that point, and therefore wouldnt be a market for it.
      Id say these fisherman are making PRETTY good money regardless.

    • @sparkyjones560
      @sparkyjones560 4 года назад +4

      They give like $1.00 an eel as babies. In Asia they get like $5 or $10 a meal with eel.
      It wouldn't work with adult eels and flying them to Asia too many pounds and taking too much space. The babies you can do like 1000 eels per pound. So in Asia those 1000 eels after growing them out will make them $5 or $10k.

    • @sparkyjones560
      @sparkyjones560 4 года назад

      @@niceoppapy yeah. I have no idea what it sells for in Japan, I've never been there, but I know why they want the small ones and why it's profitable for them to pay $1500 a pound for the babies it's because they ship them small and grow them out over there.

  • @Nic1Moreno
    @Nic1Moreno 4 года назад +18

    once it dries up everyone gonna be crying....

    • @altha-rf1et
      @altha-rf1et 4 года назад

      there will be another way to make money then

    • @conflagrationTuesday
      @conflagrationTuesday 3 года назад

      "Why didn't anyone warn us" 🤦🏻‍♂️

  • @jrcostilla9105
    @jrcostilla9105 4 года назад +17

    I can't take a man seriously when he walks to the water wearing a bathroab over his clothes

  • @louiseromero5185
    @louiseromero5185 4 года назад +2

    You are the only one that can save these eels from being mistreated and fished on the brink of extinction. Everything is always because of greed. I am thankful that there is someone like you doing something for the eel s . May God be with you .Louise from Jackson California

  • @BooGooNFlowoo4Evoo
    @BooGooNFlowoo4Evoo 4 года назад +23

    Why can't the state start an elver hatchery?

    • @GreenCanvasInteriorscape
      @GreenCanvasInteriorscape 4 года назад +4

      You would think so? Here in Minnesota the DNR is totally on top of all that stuff and managing brook trout populations and such, heard a story of North Dakota where they collect the baby lake trout in raise them up and release them by the hundreds of thousands if not more, seems like a pretty simple solution

    • @BooGooNFlowoo4Evoo
      @BooGooNFlowoo4Evoo 4 года назад +1

      @@GreenCanvasInteriorscape In western North Carolina rainbow trout hatcheries have a very positive impact and help support many private businesses.

    • @nickwalker2505
      @nickwalker2505 4 года назад +1

      Impossible with current technology

    • @mihaiilie8808
      @mihaiilie8808 4 года назад +3

      Because these eels have to cross the ocean and the Mediteranean to breed in east europe.They are not american fish,dont belong to USA!

    • @altha-rf1et
      @altha-rf1et 4 года назад

      how about some liberal Hollywood actor starting one

  • @awhiskyintheevening8408
    @awhiskyintheevening8408 4 года назад +13

    YT commenters: Why don't they just breed these eels in captivity?
    Google: Why aren't you asking me that question?
    Short answer: They grow in fresh water, travel to the ocean to breed once, and die. With current technology, we cannot replicate the conditions needed for their complex lifecycle.

    • @youngeshmoney
      @youngeshmoney 4 года назад

      This is about the stupidest comment I've seen

    • @taiyoctopus2958
      @taiyoctopus2958 4 года назад

      wow this is not sustainable at all

    • @John_Conner222
      @John_Conner222 4 года назад +1

      I can promise you we DO have the technology, its just costs too much to implement.

    • @qwertyqwerty6099
      @qwertyqwerty6099 4 года назад

      Yep.. and American n European eels are merely two branches of the same population..

    • @qwertyqwerty6099
      @qwertyqwerty6099 4 года назад

      @@John_Conner222 not really.. Japanese scientists have been working on it for decades and are saying not viable..

  • @carsonchan5102
    @carsonchan5102 3 года назад +3

    Maine, US .. seems like fishing heaven. I really want to go there to go fishing.
    There is so much fresh water + coast line... and extremely small population... all adds up to tons of fish

  • @clipperdip
    @clipperdip 4 года назад +1

    Fishing the babies of a species has to be the stupidest thing possible. What a disgusting example of human waste.

  • @awolff3381
    @awolff3381 4 года назад +29

    damn that guy 600k three time's a week to pay ppl wonder what he took home?

    • @lolbots
      @lolbots 4 года назад +4

      at a modest 10% that's 180k/week

    • @GrillWasabi
      @GrillWasabi 4 года назад +4

      He will bury himself with the money. I wonder how much money is enough?

    • @altha-rf1et
      @altha-rf1et 4 года назад

      @@GrillWasabi it is a nice way to die a bed full of money and hookers

    • @biggrthnablak1682
      @biggrthnablak1682 4 года назад

      Triple

  • @Housewarmin
    @Housewarmin 4 года назад +33

    To say these people are making thousands of dollars, they don't look like they live a lavish life.

    • @ともより-b8o
      @ともより-b8o 4 года назад +2

      Sincerely Eccentric says something about reality

    • @caranich23
      @caranich23 4 года назад +8

      I've met some rich property speculators who live very modestly themselves. They are putting that money away so that they can retire early and have a better retirement.

    • @Justthemow
      @Justthemow 4 года назад +12

      All the money goes to meth

    • @dudere
      @dudere 4 года назад +9

      @@Justthemow Im sure the money goes to pay for the licenses. The rest goes to meth though. Im not throwing shade but I have worked with fishermen and there really is nothing like meth to help you work 22 hours a day.

    • @pauld9561
      @pauld9561 4 года назад +2

      The season lasts only a few weeks.

  • @pauld9561
    @pauld9561 4 года назад +18

    I think we're gonna need a bigger boat.

  • @nickrolando7747
    @nickrolando7747 4 года назад +14

    I JUST CAME HERE FOR THE COMMENTS 😁

  • @minguyen-rl7sn
    @minguyen-rl7sn 4 года назад +25

    lol pound of glass eels cost more than a pound of Marijuana in Cali's black market.

    • @rajgill7576
      @rajgill7576 4 года назад +3

      But why?? Pound of weed lasts longer and does more

    • @lazytyrantthao4637
      @lazytyrantthao4637 4 года назад +3

      Shows you asian has the money. Need to sell marijuana to China and Japan 🤑

    • @tricktaylor
      @tricktaylor 4 года назад

      Cali has black market weed? I only f*ck with the good shit i guess. That dude has way too small a tank for his fish...

    • @minguyen-rl7sn
      @minguyen-rl7sn 4 года назад

      @@rajgill7576 especially if you make edibles with it. 8 hour high per cookie.

    • @minguyen-rl7sn
      @minguyen-rl7sn 4 года назад +1

      @@lazytyrantthao4637 cant. They execute you for weed in asia. They took US propaganda on Marijiana literally, and to this day still hold that belief. China will almost never legalize weed because they have PTSD from the opium war.

  • @andersnrregren9087
    @andersnrregren9087 4 года назад +8

    Oh so thats why we dont have the eels in Denmark anymore

    • @qwertyqwerty6099
      @qwertyqwerty6099 4 года назад +1

      Yep.. American n European eels are two branches of the same population..

  • @onekewlbraddah8460
    @onekewlbraddah8460 4 года назад +27

    Americans supported by China in the heart of Maine. The irony lmao!

    • @joesalgado
      @joesalgado 4 года назад +2

      Damn Chinese on my lawn again. Get off my lawn you....... 😂
      Hi sir yes I’m Chinese but I’m here to collect my money because you didn’t deliver the eels I paid for.
      Oh yeah sorry I forgot about it the river dried and we exploited the shit out the eel population now they all disappeared. 😂 😂

    • @inkbold8511
      @inkbold8511 4 года назад +1

      Not this time, this time the eaters are those Japanese whose love for their eel sushi has caused this extinction of eel species.

  • @quorumlab
    @quorumlab 4 года назад +11

    Rather than sell the seeds develo the eel to adulthood and make real money.

    • @rstash1
      @rstash1 4 года назад +2

      The smart money in Japan does that. We are just the dumb fishermen.

  • @hilee7390
    @hilee7390 3 года назад +1

    Eels ecology is a mystery and couldn't be concluded even among scientists. We don't know where they specifically lay eggs and came in Maine state through any path. One thing of found out by scientists is North American and European babies eels came from the Sargasso Sea of the Atlantic Ocean.

  • @MissRazna
    @MissRazna 2 года назад +1

    i'm from a town in maine where these eels are harvested. sometimes there is a lot of trash left behind and people get quite pissed about the illicit activity. its a big double edged sword because like the guy said at the beginning, we are poor in maine

  • @annas7108
    @annas7108 4 года назад +2

    this eel nomad guy is my literal hero

  • @grungeera4561
    @grungeera4561 4 года назад +25

    Need a length limit like all other fish ..
    Like you can only keep them if they are 18" or more ..
    Problem solved ✌

    • @sparkyjones560
      @sparkyjones560 4 года назад +3

      Yeah. No. Asia wants them small, more animals per pound to ship them over there. They grow them out and sell them over there.
      A pound of babies is like 1000 eels. They pay like $1400 for it.
      In Asia they will grow them out to like a pound of so each and sell them for $10 or $20 each to consumers.
      It works the way it works. They wouldn't be worth the costs if they were adults before they were shipped.

    • @ape72patch1
      @ape72patch1 4 года назад

      The babies are considered a delicacy.

  • @cooganalaska3249
    @cooganalaska3249 4 года назад +11

    Those things look so nasty. Hard to imagine eating them.

  • @47midnight
    @47midnight 4 года назад +6

    man and immediately thought the only real valuable catch in maine was lobsters, to know these eels are second only to them? damn

    • @rstash1
      @rstash1 4 года назад

      not for long.

  • @goodchessactor
    @goodchessactor 4 года назад +1

    Cool. I just finished watching the expensive truffles video and came upon the expensive eels video. I wasted my college time studying stuff and now I'm retired and I don't even have a four wheeler. People getting money from the river and from the ground, oh, my heart! I think this is the big one!

  • @souljuh4539
    @souljuh4539 4 года назад +3

    wow...I have NEVER even heard of this

  • @okamisan3642
    @okamisan3642 4 года назад +15

    you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.

    • @altha-rf1et
      @altha-rf1et 4 года назад

      The horse will drink some if you hold its head down long enough

    • @biggrthnablak1682
      @biggrthnablak1682 4 года назад

      @@altha-rf1et 🤣🤣🤣🤣

  • @dfpytwa
    @dfpytwa 4 года назад +10

    I wish the nymphs would develop an expensive taste for kangaroo rats. I could be a millionaire.

  • @fitzgibbon01
    @fitzgibbon01 4 года назад +10

    This is the craziest US accent I've ever heard...

    • @drmodestoesq
      @drmodestoesq 4 года назад +1

      I'm assuming you've never been to Louisiana.

    • @fitzgibbon01
      @fitzgibbon01 4 года назад

      @@drmodestoesq actually one of the few places in the States I have been 😂

    • @jcman240
      @jcman240 4 года назад +1

      It's the Boston accent

    • @michaels3757
      @michaels3757 4 года назад

      @@jcman240 no its Maine accent, completely different from Boston or Massachusetts sound.

  • @OklahomaSwagMaster
    @OklahomaSwagMaster 4 года назад +2

    the atlantic back at it again

  • @kylebaxter3456
    @kylebaxter3456 4 года назад +3

    why not just grow your own eels first, then sell them.... seems like they populate in mass numbers

    • @qwertyqwerty6099
      @qwertyqwerty6099 4 года назад

      smiles.. it's not possible.. they have a very complex life cycle.. they start in fresh water.. go to the ocean n return to breed.. bit like salmon.. also.. American n European ell are two branches of the same population that need to interact to breed properly.. Japanese scientists have been working on it for decades n have told that it's not viable..

  • @paratrooperlane7022
    @paratrooperlane7022 4 года назад +8

    Greed, affects the Mind!

  • @skylarfowler7994
    @skylarfowler7994 4 года назад +2

    I understand how it could help people but at the same time it's quite sad that those animals are never going to reach maturity and reproduce because they're harvested shortly after they are born. I know some other countries that used to allow collecting glass Eels they have made any illegal now because it devastates the population and in the video at like 9:30 the guy says they buy them to grow them out to serve them in restaurants they do not grow them out they eat them as glass eel ( baby Eels) because it's a delicacy in Japan China in Asia they pay small fortunes for a small bowl of glass eels they do not grow them out for the most part

    • @qwertyqwerty6099
      @qwertyqwerty6099 4 года назад

      also in certain European countries like Spain..

  • @briancomley8210
    @briancomley8210 4 года назад +1

    There used to be dozens of people selling them when i was growing up each season, you knew who were selling them because a chair was placed outside their homes with a white towel draped over it. Quick fried with bacon, yumm.

  • @DanRayBeats
    @DanRayBeats 4 года назад +1

    I like the way this is filmed, it has a nice feel to it!

  • @manicsurfing
    @manicsurfing 4 года назад +3

    why cant we farm them and reintroduce them, place a tax on the sale of them that pays for a fishery to grow and help repopulate the streams

    • @qwertyqwerty6099
      @qwertyqwerty6099 4 года назад

      smiles.. they have a very complex life cycle and essentially have to roam free to be able to complete it to reproduce.. also.. American n European eel are two branches of the same population that need to interact to survive..

  • @FAMGameplay
    @FAMGameplay 4 года назад +1

    Reporter:How do you stay awake?
    Guy:"Drive a coffee to me"(inside his head "Meth baby,meth)

  • @andrewbrady3139
    @andrewbrady3139 4 года назад

    Yep, I worked as a stern man. Was a clam digger in Harrington.
    Now I work on Drones in California.
    I do miss Downeast.

  • @massive223
    @massive223 4 года назад +7

    10:17 how my dude gonnna use a laptop like that?

    • @CShivery
      @CShivery 4 года назад

      Slave monitor, but yes, he looks like a dork with his screen at that angle, slave monitor or not.

    • @SHOTCALLER_HUNIT
      @SHOTCALLER_HUNIT 4 года назад

      Foreals lmaoo

  • @UATU.
    @UATU. 4 года назад +24

    Wonder where all that cash goes, they aren’t spending any on home upkeep and hygiene.

    • @spiloFTW
      @spiloFTW 4 года назад +4

      heroin and Jack Daniels brother

    • @gridcaster
      @gridcaster 4 года назад +1

      the guys at the bottom are just getting a small taste of the pie...the real money is in the large scale sales and the hook up connections overseas.

  • @johnlowe8418
    @johnlowe8418 4 года назад +1

    These fisherpeople will keep going untill there's nothing left, then blame the Gov't for not regulating sooner, typical human greed

  • @sloppyshotz1201
    @sloppyshotz1201 4 года назад +1

    As soon as I heard that man say dollar in his mainer accents I knew I'm missing home cant wait to be back in maine

  • @paigewhit4249
    @paigewhit4249 4 года назад +2

    Very interesting documentary, but quick question - is this what all people in Maine speak like, or is this a certain region of Maine's dialect? I'm from the Midwest and have never met someone who lived north of New York and this dialect is fascinating to me because it's got that Northeastern sound but also is like nothing quite like I have heard before.

  • @rstash1
    @rstash1 4 года назад +1

    Too much money. Goodbye eels. People don't think ahead.

  • @kingoffoxez
    @kingoffoxez 4 года назад +1

    We need to keep all the eels for bait to catch the Asian carp. Also if a 5 gallon bucket was worth 1/2 a million the American eel would have been wiped out in the first 2 week.

  • @lifecoaching5068
    @lifecoaching5068 4 года назад +2

    Why not use adult eels to make a hatchery and then use them rather than using those ones in the wild?

    • @davidyoung3020
      @davidyoung3020 4 года назад +1

      they only reproduce ( mate) in mid ocean - Sargasso Sea, in the Bermuda Triangle, not in captivity

  • @FixNewsPlease
    @FixNewsPlease 4 года назад +2

    It's hard to believe people like this still exist today.
    America is so backwards.

  • @JDCali459mm
    @JDCali459mm 4 года назад +14

    Reminds me of the South Park dolphins episode.

  •  4 года назад +2

    Why doesn't Maine fisheries raise the eels to adult size themselves and sell to Japan?

    • @michaels3757
      @michaels3757 4 года назад

      air freight costs-- its way more cost effective to ship them when their small-- shipping live or fresh fish by air is not cheap

  • @0BRAINS0
    @0BRAINS0 4 года назад +1

    Bill Sheldon shouldn't tell the world how much cash he has on hand even if they do have a couple cheap high point pistols, won't stop one professional with an automatic rifle.

  • @weirdaustin757
    @weirdaustin757 4 года назад +1

    I just dont understands is that people also depend on the eel so why catch all the babies. Why dont they catch adult and get bigger money. So sad. Hope they figure it out before it too late..😭

    • @qwertyqwerty6099
      @qwertyqwerty6099 4 года назад +1

      numbers going down dramatically already.. both here n Europe.. they are two branches of the same pipukation..

  • @cleison.
    @cleison. 4 года назад +1

    Nice photography and editing

  • @Midwestupland
    @Midwestupland 4 года назад +3

    Wouldn’t say it’s a black market if the government is ok with it

    • @trapjudas1631
      @trapjudas1631 4 года назад

      MI fly shiiit just because the government endorses it doesn’t mean it isn’t illegal or considered “black market” lol

  • @dirtywrx8478
    @dirtywrx8478 4 года назад

    Everyone gets a piece of the money. That's why no one gives a shit. The world is messed up and corrupt.

  • @MiguelSanchez-el7os
    @MiguelSanchez-el7os 4 года назад +3

    Fricken Hicks lmao going bonkers over these endangered fish smh funny what a little bit of money can do to clueless ppl at least if your fishing them that hard help replenish so you can at least count on them being there for the next generation

  • @miriamvivo4279
    @miriamvivo4279 4 года назад +5

    Just like the codfish make the money till they disappear same with bluefin tuna in nova scotia and the halibut in alaska que sera sera

  • @snowkracker
    @snowkracker 4 года назад +2

    The one guy talking with the map looks like the dude in the video who had the frozen Sasquatch head

  • @unotweek
    @unotweek 4 года назад +13

    Soooo why aren't they breeding them and then releasing them back into the wild?

    • @alexcoburg1530
      @alexcoburg1530 4 года назад +1

      It's hard to replicate artificial environments sometimes they need symbotic relationships with plants and also other eels to hatch or thrive you can't replicate this easily

    • @mihaiilie8808
      @mihaiilie8808 4 года назад +1

      Because these eels breed in Europe and they cross the ocean and the Mediteranean.They are not american eels!

    • @unotweek
      @unotweek 4 года назад

      Ah got ya

    • @awhiskyintheevening8408
      @awhiskyintheevening8408 4 года назад +1

      @@mihaiilie8808 , no. The American and European eels are two, closely related species. Both species reproduce in the Sargasso Sea. I haven't had time to read much about them, but it sounds like they may have been the same species at one point.

    • @mihaiilie8808
      @mihaiilie8808 4 года назад +1

      @@awhiskyintheevening8408 I catch these on the Danube delta in Europe where they come to breed from US coast.
      I catch and release big adult eels.They breed here then they and the larvae goes to America.
      On their journey to America they have to cross the Mediteranean where the spanish and italians catch them as juveniles just like you see in this vid from USA.

  • @paralentor
    @paralentor 4 года назад

    So crazy to see this. I knew of Maine residents quietly doing this back in 2006.

  • @samuraijack1371
    @samuraijack1371 4 года назад +3

    Greed is the same it's just takes different forms. Be it Wall Street or be it back country.

  • @joshuarichards3973
    @joshuarichards3973 4 года назад +1

    As someone who lives in Maine i can tell you nobody eats those slimy things why not export them and bring more money back to Maine (is nobody gonna mention that the one guy who is worried about their extinction wearing a robe down to the river?)

    • @qwertyqwerty6099
      @qwertyqwerty6099 4 года назад

      smiles softly.. both elvers n full size eels are considered a delicacy all over the world.. elvers as a kind of anchovis.. the full size eels smokes.. broiled or roated.. my preference is smoked.. anyways.. their numbers are going down dramatically.. the Japanese was extinct already.. why they buy ours.. full sized goes to Europe.. American European eel are two branches of the same population..

  • @jackbrown3761
    @jackbrown3761 4 года назад +2

    Stop the fishing of eels for one lifetime of an eel. 5 years, then resume.

  • @patronsbarbershop88
    @patronsbarbershop88 4 года назад

    Great mini docu, filming and all

  • @Kushert
    @Kushert 4 года назад +16

    Never underestimate a hillbilly

  • @omaroidrissa1996
    @omaroidrissa1996 4 года назад +1

    Saddly in Africa, they wouldn't Pay t Fisherman 25Cent's / Pound ....n Still Tax it !

  • @moowin
    @moowin 4 года назад

    2013 and 14 was great fishing :-( miss those does

  • @viewsONTRENDING
    @viewsONTRENDING 4 года назад +1

    Hope they ain't doing this here in New Zealand yet because we have some special eels down here, not to mention they grow to massive size

  • @johnwells9089
    @johnwells9089 4 года назад +1

    If you had a rotation system on the catching of eels that's to say take a break for one year or more, and then catch eels three years in a row you would probably more than quadruple your income it short-sightedness greed!
    No matter how prolific it will soon enough be depleted....

  • @flashcrusade7780
    @flashcrusade7780 4 года назад +1

    So that's where my sushi comes from

  • @leviroch
    @leviroch 4 года назад +3

    Tell me elvers dont look exactly like the worms from 'the strain'

  • @lucanidae100
    @lucanidae100 4 года назад +1

    All the Cod have been wiped out and they have no idea where they were all taken from to reseed the area. Here it it folks we are all going to starve to death one day soon

  • @marshmelow6403
    @marshmelow6403 4 года назад +1

    how do you stay awake? "ehhh coffee" yea right.....

  • @marinskyjones1108
    @marinskyjones1108 4 года назад

    LOVE his bathrobe!!!!!

  • @mooksville
    @mooksville 4 года назад

    Critically endangered !! Well done USA .. you've outdone yourself again !!

  • @chaoticlife311
    @chaoticlife311 4 года назад +7

    you know the world is screwed when America starts eating more water based food product than land based. what's not to say about land base agriculture.

    • @jfk64kennedy95
      @jfk64kennedy95 4 года назад +1

      you're mislead, those of us Americans who live within a few miles of the ocean have a fairly heavy seafood diet

    • @zdogbigisland8012
      @zdogbigisland8012 4 года назад +1

      They are selling them to Asia to raise to adulthood

  • @loki_cane_corso_italiano7825
    @loki_cane_corso_italiano7825 4 года назад +1

    WTF, I'm from Maine, I've never heard of this!

  • @uncleslavo1
    @uncleslavo1 4 года назад

    Very interesting and informative.

  • @Randy_84
    @Randy_84 4 года назад +6

    Wonder what a "good salary" is to that guy.

    • @apoonani264
      @apoonani264 4 года назад

      Randy eh like 13 mil

    • @Randy_84
      @Randy_84 4 года назад

      @@apoonani264 highly doubt he's making 13 million.

    • @sparkyjones560
      @sparkyjones560 4 года назад +2

      They make like $10 an hour tops for an unskilled uneducated type job.
      A guy can make 20K a year doing that.
      These guys can pull out 10 pounds of baby eels a night if its good and make $14k, and make $40K or more for a month of fishing.
      These guys aren't office managers or doctors bro. They are shade tree mechanics, odd job workers, beer drinkers, hole diggers it Maine and they are local lifers.

    • @DickHead-v8l
      @DickHead-v8l 4 года назад +1

      Maybe you didn't know this but most Americans are poor. And we have over 40 million Americans living in extreme poverty so any wage is better then no wages

  • @nunyabizznizz7326
    @nunyabizznizz7326 4 года назад +1

    his backyard would look like the moon......lol

  • @airikgail4383
    @airikgail4383 4 года назад

    A five gallon bucket filled up is a HALF A MILLION F@#*IN DOLLARS . !! This is totally nuts

  • @igoyzigong
    @igoyzigong 4 года назад +1

    I wish they can find a way to do eel Breeder soon.

    • @ecclairmayo4153
      @ecclairmayo4153 4 года назад

      Yeah I don't know why they just don't farm them. This is not the way

    • @qwertyqwerty6099
      @qwertyqwerty6099 4 года назад

      smiles.. it's not possible.. they have a very complex life cycle.. they start in fresh water.. go to the ocean n return to breed.. bit like salmon.. also.. American n European eel are two branches of the same population that need to interact to breed properly.. Japanese scientists have been working on it for decades n have told that it's not viable..

  • @charleszweydoff6917
    @charleszweydoff6917 4 года назад

    Quits job becomes a eel fisherman lol

  • @danielc3453
    @danielc3453 4 года назад

    What a great story!

  • @IslandPlumber
    @IslandPlumber 4 года назад

    Haha. I live there and have fished for them there too. This was nuts years ago when people first caught on. Some nights people would fight for spots on the shore to scoop them out with nets (dip). We made 100 bucks in like 5 minutes one night but left because it turned into a mob. We would drive to remote places to do it. One night a drunk guy came out of the woods with duct tape around his ankles. Said he just woke up and asked how the fishing was. He had a giant net he had rigged up that was totally illegal. He made it into the surf and was immediately taken down by a wave. We had to help him out. It has gotten better now but this kind of stuff still happens. The original gold rush was insane. You make thousands per hour and it's not hard work. Now there are a limited number of permits. There is a sign on the side of the road, "cash elver". That's where you sell them.

  • @不取出轨妻宁取从良妓
    @不取出轨妻宁取从良妓 3 года назад

    I am a buyer from China , I love this things

  • @kellyaraujo273
    @kellyaraujo273 4 года назад +1

    These people remind me of how the hobbits in lord of the rings had colorful and quirky personalities

  • @GrillWasabi
    @GrillWasabi 4 года назад +1

    Sushi anyone?