By Kervenson Martial

Copyright haitiantimes

PORT-DE-PAIX— As Haiti’s northwest fishermen launched the new September–March harvesting season, they were stunned to find exporters had drastically cut eel prices from $5,760 to $760 per kilogram — a drop of more than 85% that has fueled protests in Port-de-Paix and threats to suspend fishing altogether.

Marching in the streets of Port-de-Paix on Sept. 10, leaders of the Northwest Eel Fishermen’s Association (ARANO) said their members cannot survive under the new price set this month by licensed exporters, who dominate the sector under state-issued permits.

“We will suspend all eel fishing until this decision is reversed,” said ARANO president Wesner Justilien.

“We don’t have proper equipment and tools, yet once we catch the eels, they’re bought from us for a pittance, while exporters make millions by selling them in Asia.”

Haiti’s fishermen use simple, handmade baskets made with bamboo or iron covered with mosquito netting for fishing. They lack sophisticated methods to keep the fish alive for an extended period of time. As a result, they must sell immediately—hurting their bargaining power.

Glass eels or American eels—the young, wild eels caught in Haiti—are a key part of the global eel aquaculture industry, especially in East Asia, notably Hong Kong, China and Japan. One of the main reasons is that eels cannot be farmed on a large scale in captivity. These live elvers fetch very high prices, and their illegal trade is a major organized crime issue. They are shipped alive in cooled, oxygen-filled bags or tanks to farms where they are raised to adulthood.

The ARANO members accuse the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Rural Development (MARNDR) of siding with what they call “monopolists” — well-connected businessmen and political figures who control export licenses and dominate Haiti’s lucrative eel trade. They also claimed that Haitian authorities have turned a blind eye to smugglers—devastating the precious species and boosting exporters’ bargaining power.

A global luxury market, local poverty amid Haiti’s poorly regulated trade

Haitian fishermen’s anger reflects the stark disparity between local and international markets. In Haiti, exporters now want to pay just about $760 per kilogram for high-demand glass eels, down from $5,760. By contrast, the precious juvenile catch — prized in Asian cuisine, preferred market for Haitian traders— fetches up to approximately $6,000 per kilogram in China and Japan, according to a French commercial TV network TF1 report in February. In France, the fish sells for about €500 per kilogram or about $600, while smoked or processed eel can bring premium prices across Europe.

Haiti’s fishermen say this gulf underscores how they bear all the risks — spending nights at sea without proper gear — while middlemen and exporters reap windfall profits abroad.

“It is not acceptable for people to spend entire nights fishing for a ridiculous price,” said local buyer Albert Durand, who backs the fishermen’s protest. “People are living in poverty and hunger while exporters get rich.”

Eel exports from Haiti have surged in recent years. According to customs data reported by AyiboPost, Haiti exported more than 173,500 tons of eel worth nearly $13 million in 2022–2023, up 45% from the year before, largely to Asian markets. And this does not include illicit exports from smugglers. No reports have been made available beyond 2023.

But the trade remains poorly regulated. Since most fishermen operate informally without licenses or proper preservation methods, they are dependent on a handful of exporters. In 2018, top license holders formed the National Association for the Protection of Aquatic Resources (ANAPRA), a powerful lobby that critics say ensures their control of the sector.

Notable figures linked to ANAPRA include businessman Charles “Kiko” Saint-Rémy, brother-in-law of former President Michel Martelly, and around 20 other well-to-do or well-connected individuals, whose dominance in the trade has drawn public criticism.

Officials from the MARNDR have acknowledged weak oversight. “Eel fishing is still practiced informally across the country,” said Antonio Sera, northwest departmental director. He confirmed a draft document is in progress to regulate the industry, but admitted “we do not yet fully understand how this sector operates.”

Efforts to speak with some of the ANAPRA leaders remain mostly unsuccessful. However, Fritz Richardson, one of the group members named by protesters, told The Haitian Times in a phone interview that he works only as an agent with the General Customs Administration (AGD) and is not involved in setting eel prices or sector regulations.

“I work in eel exports as a customs agent,” Richardson said. “I’m not involved in the purchase in the national market, and honestly, I can’t comment much on that process. I saw the protest, but as far as I’m concerned, that’s where it ends.”

The customs agent said he found it hard to believe that the MARNDR recently increased eel export permit fees, but did not get involved in setting the prices. “Meanwhile, prices are being lowered. It seems a coincidence,” he said.

Another key factor, Richardson added, might be middlemen who have established strong ties with smugglers along the coast, influencing prices by encouraging many fishermen to take part and flooding the market with excess stock. As a result of increased availability along Haiti’s coastline from the north to the southwest peninsula, and due to fishermen’s poor preservation methods to keep eels longer, those with buying power decide how much they are willing to pay for the highly valued stock.

International scrutiny and smuggling as fishermen demand reform

Beyond Haiti, the eel trade has come under increasing international scrutiny. European eels are listed as critically endangered, and trafficking networks — including links to Haiti — have been flagged in Interpol investigations. Conservationists warn that overfishing threatens the species’ survival, while smuggling routes funnel live glass eels from the Caribbean to Asia under falsified paperwork.

In Haiti, exporters have been accused of disguising local eels as imports from Asia to bypass trade restrictions. Activists warn that without strict regulation, Haiti risks depleting its waters for short-term profit while leaving local fishermen impoverished.

ARANO members said they have been squeezed out of one of the few profitable industries left in northwest Haiti, a region already battered by poverty and gang violence along trade routes.

“Fishing has been my livelihood for over 30 years, but I’m always the loser,” said Wildor Joseph, a Port-de-Paix fisherman. “The exporters hold the monopoly. We do the hardest work and get nothing worth our effort in return.”

The group is calling on the government to intervene immediately, revalue eel prices and ensure fairer integration into the global value chain. Absent that, they warn that protests and blockades could follow.

“We cannot allow our national resources to be stripped away for the benefit of a few,” Justilien said. “This injustice must stop.”