GOULDSBORO — Bill Quinby is usually a pretty cheerful guy, but midway through Maine’s elver fishing season he sounded tired and frazzled.

Quinby buys elvers — glass eels — at the former Stinson Seafood plant in Prospect Harbor. When the season is open, he also buys them in South Carolina, the only other state that allows fishermen to harvest the tiny, transparent juvenile Anguilla rostrata.

Despite his experience, the wildest market in memory for Maine elvers had him shaking his head.

“I don’t know what’s going on,” Quinby said last week.

When the season opened on March 22, dealers paid elver fishermen $2,200 per pound for their catch. Although the price dipped briefly to a comparatively paltry $1,800, last week the price was still $2,200 per pound.

“People have done beautifully, very well” Quinby said of the 400 or so lucky Mainers who hold elver fishing licenses. “For dealers, it’s been very difficult.”

Despite their stunning price, elvers are a commodity and the laws of supply and demand should affect what buyers are willing to pay the fishermen. This year, though, it appears that the laws have been suspended and fishermen are receiving just about the same price for their elvers at the stream bank that dealers are getting in Hong Kong, where the bulk of the Maine catch is sold.

Recently, some buyers have appeared on the scene and offered premiums of as much as $25-$50 per pound to fill a 100-pound order. That makes it harder for local dealers to compete. Dealers also have to cope with the loss of 5-10 percent of the elvers they buy during holding and shipping.

“It’s inevitable that it can’t continue,” Quinby said, “so people aren’t holding on to their inventory.”

For a look at video from opening night of the ever season, click here.

For more maritime news, pick up a copy of The Ellsworth American.