Maine lobster landings were at a 15-year low, at about 86 million pounds in 2024.
It's a 10 million pound decline from the previous year, according to preliminary data released Friday by the Maine Department of Marine Resources. The 2024 decrease also comes after landings dropped by another 10 million pounds from 2022 to 2023.
Fishermen set 285,000 fewer traps in the water in 2024 compared to the previous year, the data show.
Spruce Head fisherman Bob Baines said landings are leveling off and fluctuating after a few years of record harvests. He believes the fishery is still in good shape.
"There's only a certain amount of lobsters every year available to be caught; we're very good at it," he said Friday from the Maine Fishermen's Forum in Rockport. "And since the biomass has gotten smaller, there's just less lobsters to be caught."
Lobster prices went up as the supply dipped.
"The price certainly this year was better. It helped make up for it," Baines said. "But it's still so challenging because of the cost of bait, the cost of boats, gear, it's such an expensive fishery that it's really challenging to be profitable."
The average price per pound paid to lobstermen jumped to $6.14 last year, the second highest annual average boat price ever recorded. Average lobster prices were $1.17 per pound higher compared to last year.
As a result, the value of the Maine lobster harvest topped $528 million.
