New figures from the Maine (USA) Department of Marine Resources indicate that Maine lobster fishermen landed more than 120 million pounds for the third year in a row and the third time ever.
Fishermen landed 123,676,100 pounds of lobster in 2014, with an overall value of USD 456.9 million (EUR 407.9 million). The price per pound went up approximately USD 0.79 (EUR 0.71), the largest one-year price increase since the department and the National Marine Fisheries Service began keeping records. The one-year increase in overall value is the largest on record and totaled more than the value of the entire fishery in 1993.
Department officials estimate part of the reason is the timing of the lobsters shedding their shells. In 2012, a historic early shedding of the shells led to a bumper-crop of lobster that sent prices plummeting.
“During the 2014 season we saw a perfect mix of conditions for economic improvement in the Maine lobster fishery,” said Patrick Keliher, the department’s commissioner. “Not only were landings at an historic high again, a more predictably timed shed improved industry’s ability to manage the supply.”
