Lobster catches break record at 93 mln lb for 2010

[Bud Man]

Lobster catches break record at 93 mln lb for 2010


Friday, February 25, 2011, 02:20 (GMT + 9)

Maine achieved a record American lobster catch (Homarus americanus) in 2010. The Department of Marine Resources (DMR) documented landings of more than 93 million lb – a rise of 12 million lb compared to 2009’s 81 million lb -- which fishers are calling a drastic improvement, if not a record.

The price paid to lobster fishers came as even brighter news.

DMR’s estimated total value of the landings last year is USD 308.7 million, with lobster fishers getting an estimated average price of USD 3.31 per lb for their catch in 2010.

Maine has almost 6,000 licensed commercial lobster fishers, 4,260 of whom are believed to have actively fished last year and contributed to the record landings, state officials informed, reports Bangor Daily News.

DMR also noted that the value of the lobster catch accounts for nearly 70 per cent of the total value of all commercial marine species harvested in the state last year. The total value of all marine species harvested there in 2010, including shrimp, salmon and scallops, was USD 448.7 million.

Bob Baines, a fisher from South Thomaston and chairman of Maine’s Lobster Advisory Council, says the price at the dock climbed by about USD 0.40 cents a lb compared to the year prior, which is still much less than the prices seen during the flourishing economy of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Baines said his income has dropped by about half since then.

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Coastal businesses also saw better figures, as Maine’s lobster fishery has for a long time represented its coast’s main economic force.

For the past three years, myriad businesses have seen sluggish returns, so many are happy to see rising lobster prices and profits. Not only lobster fishers, but also trap builders, truck dealers and other companies are rejoicing.

Even so, veteran fishers do not believe the DMR’s claims that the 2010 landings reached record numbers. Instead, they say fishers caught a lot more lobsters in the early to mid 2000's - prior to Maine’s ordered mandatory reporting by dealers.

Related article:


By Natalia Real
editorial@fis.com
www.fis.com

[aparent]

as a child we used to have a friend there named bob rioux who had a place on the island, one of the most beautiful places n earth i have ever seen, go there and see it firsthand simply awesome!!!! very fond memories of the island

[Nauti Natured]

That was an awesome video.

Thanks Budman.