Maine Seafood Harvest Notes

Lobster is just one of a variety of species landed in Maine. In an early March press release, the Department of Marine Resources reported that Maine commercial fishermen once again landed more than a half-billion dollars worth of marine resources in 2017. At $569.1 million, the total value stands as the fourth highest ever and marks only the sixth time that Maine harvesters have surpassed $500 million.

• Herring, the primary bait source for the lobster industry, again represented the second most valuable commercial fishery at $17.9 million on the strength of a record per-pound price of 27 cents. Harvesters landed 66.45 million pounds, most harvested from the inshore Gulf of Maine area known as Area 1A.

• Despite a drop of nearly 4 million pounds landed and a dip of $3.8 million in value, Maine’s softshell clam industry remained the third most valuable commercial fishery at $12.36 million. Landings declined in part due to closures associated with harmful algal blooms. The decline in value is due in part to increases in supply of softshell clams from outside Maine, which affected the demand and value for Maine clams.

• Maine elver harvesters enjoyed another season in which their fishery was by far the most valuable on a per-pound basis. Harvesters landed 9,343 pounds of the 9,688-pound state quota. At $1,303 per pound, the elver fishery was valued at $12.15 million, the fifth highest per-pound and overall value in the history of the fishery.

• Maine scallop harvesters landed the most scallops since 1997, bringing ashore 793,544 meat pounds, a nearly 45 percent jump from 2016. At $9.3 million, scallop landings had the highest overall value since 1993.