PORTLAND, Maine (AP) _ Lobster fishermen say the 2014 season appears to have resulted in a lower catch than the previous two years. That would mean slightly higher prices for consumers.
But lobstermen say this was still a productive year. Maine's lobster fishery topped 125 million pounds in 2012 and 2013. The 2012 catch of more than 127.2 million pounds was a record according to state data that go back to 1880.
Fishermen say this year's catch was robust, but they don't expect to touch those numbers. The state will provide 2014 data next year.
The season typically picks up after the bulk of lobsters shed shells and reach legal catch size. Fishermen say this year the shed happened in July, slightly later than in 2012 and 2013.