Regulations for the possession and export of elvers
Under the Possession and Export of Elvers Regulations (the Elvers Regulations) it is an offence to possess and export domestic and imported American eel elvers without a licence. The Elvers Regulations came into force on March 1, 2025.
Possession licences and export licences do not authorize the licence holder to fish for elvers.
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Licences
Under the Elvers Regulations, you need a licence to possess and export elvers. There are separate licences for possession and export. Depending on your activities in the supply chain, you may need both.
Below is a breakdown of which supply chain activities are regulated by which licences through conditions of licence.
DFO-issued fishing licences regulate:
- harvesting elvers
- transporting elvers from the river to a holding facility
DFO-issued possession licences regulate:
- introducing and storing Canadian-caught and imported foreign-caught elvers at holding facilities
- transporting elvers between holding facilities and to a place of exit from Canada, such as airports or customs-controlled land border crossings
- packaging and preparing elvers for transport
DFO-issued export licences regulate:
- exporting elvers from Canadian airports (in partnership with Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA))
Under the new regulations, it is also an offence to:
- combine elvers legally caught in Canada in the same container as:
- foreign-caught elvers of any eel species
- elvers caught illegally in Canada
- unseal a container that has been sealed for export
Possession and export licence holders will be required to keep records for five years after their licence expires.
Possession licence
You need a possession licence to possess elvers once they have been deposited at a holding facility.
This includes:
- holding facility operators
- fish buyers and processors that possess elvers
You do not need a possession licence if you are:
- an elver fishing licence holder or designate and you are in possession of elvers between harvesting and depositing them at a holding facility specified in your elver fishing licence
- a person who has a licence to fish elvers for experimental, scientific, or educational purposes
- a person who has a licence to transfer elvers to an aquaculture facility or release them into fish habitat
- an operator of a licensed aquaculture facility who is cultivating elvers to grow them to 10cm or greater
- a commercial transporter that has no direct or indirect interest in elvers
- a person working at an airport who is engaged in handling goods for air transportation
- personnel of the CBSA, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), DFO or a province acting in the course of their duties
Conditions of possession licences:
- specify the address of the holding facility where you are authorized to possess elvers
- require you to clearly label all domestic elver shipments with the following information: contents “Live Juvenile Eels (Elvers),” wet weight of elvers (kgs), and possession licence numbers of the sender and domestic recipient
- require you to report on all transfers in and transfers out of each holding facility, including the sources of incoming elver and the destinations and transporters of outgoing elver
- require you to notify DFO 48 hours in advance of when you expect to prepare a shipment for export, and provide the anticipated weight of the elvers, anticipated date of export, and the anticipated transporter and airport of export
- describe the requirements that must be met to prepare a container of elvers for export, including related to sealing and labelling
- restrict the number of persons who are authorized under a possession licence to possess elvers offsite of the possession licence holder’s holding facility for the purposes of transport
- require you to notify DFO in advance of taking possession of imported elver at an international airport or a customs-controlled land border crossing
Obtaining and transferring elvers
Possession licence holders are responsible for ensuring they obtain elvers from and transfer elvers to individuals authorized to possess elvers.
For elvers destined for export, a possession licence holder may:
- obtain elvers from fishing licence holders, other possession licence holders, or commercial transporters
- transfer elvers to other possession licence holders, to airport personnel or to commercial transporters
Export licence
You need an export licence if you arrange for elvers to be exported from Canada.
An export licence is specific to the activity of exporting. It does not grant the holder the authority to physically possess elvers.
If you are an exporter, you also require a possession licence to physically possess elvers.
There are no exemptions for export licences.
Conditions of export licences require export holders to:
- declare certain information about each elver export shipment to the CBSA
- meet export requirements set out by the CBSA
Application process
Important – please read this section carefully before proceeding with your application.
A possession licence is required to possess domestic and imported American eel elvers at a holding facility anywhere in Canada and to transport elvers within Canada, with certain exceptions. In your application, you must identify the holding facility location(s) where you will store elver by a civic address. All possession related activities that occur at this holding facility location must be authorized under one possession licence. DFO will not issue two possession licences that authorize possession of elvers at the same holding facility.
An export licence is required to export elvers from Canada.
Possession licences and export licences do not authorize the licence holder to fish for elvers.
Applicants in Nova Scotia should be aware of provincial fish buyer licence requirements.
How to apply
Once you have determined that you require a possession or export licence, you must:
- download the application form for a possession or an export licence. Detailed instructions on how to fill out the form are provided at the end of the document
- fill out and sign the application form
- submit the completed application to DFO using the National Online Licensing System (NOLS). Instructions on how to submit a request using NOLS are available on DFO's website
- use the request type “Application For New Licence” and the request subtype “Elvers Possession and Export Licence Request” to submit your request
If you do not have a NOLS profile, instructions on how to register for a NOLS profile are available on DFO's website.
Please be advised that the name (or the name of any authorized representative if the applicant is not an individual), business address, telephone number and email address used to register your NOLS profile must be the same as in your application.
Application form
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Licence fees
There are no fees associated with the issuance of a possession or export licence.
Review and decision process
Upon receipt of your application, DFO will conduct a thorough review. If the Department determines that additional information is required to assess your application, you may receive a request for further details. To facilitate a timely decision, the Department requests that you provide the information within 10 business days. Please note that if no answer is provided to the Department, your application may be closed.
DFO aims to make a decision on complete application files within 30 business days. This service standard applies only once the file is considered complete by DFO.
You will be notified of DFO's questions or decision through your NOLS account. If you are issued a licence, you will be able to download and print the licence. You will also receive instructions on the next steps to ensure compliance with the conditions of your licence and relevant regulations.
If you are not issued a licence, you will receive a letter explaining the reasons for this decision through your NOLS account.
If you have questions regarding your application or the application process once you have submitted a request, please use NOLS to contact us by modifying your request under the request number provided upon application. Instructions on how to modify a request are found on DFO's website.
Contact us
Should you require additional information, please contact us at fishing-peche@dfo-mpo.gc.ca. Do not sent privileged or sensitive business information via email.
Elver Monitoring and Traceability application
The Elver Monitoring and Traceability (EMT) application is an electronic reporting interface through which elver fishing and possession licence holders submit data to DFO, in accordance with their conditions of licence. Export licence holders are not required to report data through the EMT.
Elver fishing licence holders and fishers who are designated to fish under these licences will be required to report their harvest activities through the EMT application.
Elver possession licence holders and individuals who are authorized to report on their behalf will be required to report possession-related activities through the EMT application.
Through the collection of timely data from licence holders, the EMT application strengthens traceability in the elver fishery and along the supply chain to the point of export.
In addition, the EMT application aids compliance and enforcement activities throughout the supply chain, with the goal to disincentivize and ultimately reduce unlawful harvesting.
The EMT application can be accessed on a computer, tablet or cell phone.
How to register for the EMT application
Instructions for how to set up an individual EMT account are available on the Elver Monitoring and Traceability homepage.
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