Maine’s Lobster Fishermen Have Seen Better Days
A lobster guards its territory in front of a trap on Sept. 3, 2018, near Biddeford, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, file)
Maine’s lobster catch declined for the fourth straight year, state fishing regulators said Friday, as the industry faces rising business costs, inflation, and changes in ocean conditions.
The haul of lobsters—Maine’s best-known export and an important part of the state’s culture and economy—has fallen each year since 2021. Some scientists say warming ocean waters are pushing the species to migrate farther north into Canadian waters, according to the Associated Press.
In 2025, fishermen landed 78.8 million pounds of lobster, down from more than 110 million pounds four years earlier, regulators said. It marked the lowest total since 2008.
Inflation also hit the industry hard last year. Carl Wilson, commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources, said there were more than 21,000 fewer fishing trips than in 2024. He added that market uncertainty tied to tariffs and a late start to the busiest part of the fishing season also contributed to the decline.
“This combination of factors likely contributed to the decline from 2024 to 2025 in the lobster harvest of more than 8 million pounds and a decrease in the overall value of more than $75 million,” Wilson said in a statement.
Most of the nation’s lobsters are caught in waters off Maine, though they are also harvested in other parts of New England. The fishery is one of the most valuable in the United States, often bringing in more than $500 million annually at the dock. Last year, the catch was worth more than $461 million.
Meanwhile, the lobster fishery in southern New England has been considered depleted by regulators for several years. That downturn followed warming ocean temperatures off Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts, and scientists warn similar patterns could eventually affect Maine. Lobsters are particularly sensitive to temperature changes throughout their lives, especially when they are young.
Even so, last year’s catch remains relatively strong compared with historic levels. Landings typically ranged between 50 million and 70 million pounds during the 2000s and were even lower in the decade before that.
Lobsters are still widely available in restaurants and seafood markets, although prices have risen. During the 2010s, dock prices generally ranged from $3 to $5 per pound, but in recent years they have topped $6 per pound. In 2025, the average dock price was $5.85 per pound.
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