Eel smuggling is apparently a thing, as a massive outbound shipment of live baby eels, or elvers, worth up to half a million bucks was seized at Toronto Pearson International Airport last week.

According to Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), an enormous shipment of elvers (juvenile eels) weighing just shy of 110 kilograms was seized by DFO fishery officers and border services officers from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) on the evening of May 15.

The DFO's Conservation & Protection Directorate and National Fisheries Intelligence Service (which I assure you is a real thing) worked with the CBSA Commercial Operations District and intelligence teams to coordinate the seizure.

Photos of the alleged shipment — destined for an overseas market — show the elvers in large bags of water stowed within cardboard boxes.

The estimated value of the baby eels is thought to be between $400,000 and $500,000 and the shipment is alleged to be in violation of the Fisheries Act, with an investigation now underway.

"The magnitude of this elver seizure is an important development," said Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and Canadian Coast Guard

Lebouthillier hails "all the work done by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, but also the team effort of a wide range of agencies and departments involved across government."

"Once again, our message is crystal clear: do not travel to Nova Scotia to illegally fish or export elvers this year, enforcement officers will be waiting for you."

The seizure comes just over two months after a March 11 announcement from the DFO that the elver fishery would not open in 2024, citing conservation and safety concerns.

According to the DFO, anyone caught fishing elvers faces enforcement actions under the Fisheries Act and the Maritime Provinces Fishery Regulations.