Maine's lobster harvest totaled 56 million pounds last year, down 23 percent from 2006's record catch, according to preliminary figures released by the Maine Department of Marine Resources yesterday. Maine represents about 80 percent of the nation's American lobster catch.
Maine's lobster harvest was valued at $248.5 million in 2007, down 16 percent from the previous year. Due to the drop in landings, the average ex-vessel price of lobster increased to $4.43 a pound in 2007 from $4.08 in 2006.
The fall in landings was expected, DMR Commissioner George Lapointe told the Bangor Daily News.
State and industry officials noted last fall that catches seemed to be lower than the previous year.
