The federal opposition wants to talk about baby eels.

The Conservatives have asked Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier for a meeting on the upcoming elver fishery.

Poaching issues have plagued the lucrative fishery in recent years.

West Nova MP Chris d’Entremont says it seemed like a free-for-all last year.

“Baby eels are worth $5,000 a kilogram on the market, and they are very simple to catch. The department needs to get a handle of what’s going on,” said d’Entremont.

DFO closed the fishery for 45 days last spring due to conservation concerns and escalating violence and threats.

But in that time, then-fisheries minister Joyce Murray says they seized over $1 million worth of illegal catch.

d’Entremont says the department needs to work with the industry to curb the poaching that’s been happening.

In an update this week, the department says they’ve been working on regulations to create separate licenses for the possession and export of elvers.

DFO says the new regulations would help deter the unauthorized harvesting and sale, creating a more orderly fishery.

d’Entremont says they’ve been told a meeting is imminent.