Seasonality of Lobster Landings Explored

by Laurie Schreiber

In 2019, lobstermen landed 100.7 million pounds, valued at $485 million.

“This is the ninth year over 100 million pounds,” Kathleen Reardon, the DMR’s lead lobster biologist, said during a session on lobster science during the Maine Fishermen’s Forum in early March. “Looking back through history, we’re still at very, very high levels and the value is still very high.”

But 2019’s cool spring may have impacted when lobsters were landed. A look at pounds per month reveals a seasonal component to the landings.

“In a wild-caught fishery, every year is different, but we’ve seen some patterns,” she said.

2012 and 2016 were warm years and lobsters molted in July both years, Reardon said. As a result, the fishery was ramping up in May and June and then went full steam ahead in July.

2019 saw a later molt in August. The fishery was ramping up in June and July and finally began taking off in August.

In 2019, seasonal catches, especially in July, were similar to catch patterns in 2008 and 2009, she said. Water temperatures during those three years were cooler than 2012 and 2016, she explained.

2019 landings also appear to have been affected by storms that occurred mid-October.

“Something happened around Oct. 11 and 12,” she said. “We heard anecdotal reports from fishermen that things shifted after that, that landings picked up mid-October and continued to the end of the season. That lines up with October bump that happened in 2019.”