As mentioned a few days ago, the lobster fishing season is kicking off in Downeast Maine. My brother set out his first load last Friday and and my father will be setting out his first load this week. As my mother mentioned in her email yesterday:
"There were quite a few boats loaded to head out this morning or had already steamed out there."
While the fishermen are hungry to set out and get the season going, I think all are worried about what this year's fishing will hold. Last year was really tough on the fishermen, given the economic downturn. While the catch was good and healthy, the price per pound dropped to lows not seen since 2002. As an article published in Forbes this week states:
"The value of Maine's lobster catch plunged in 2008 along with the global economy...While the harvest was up by about 3 million pounds from 2007, the value of the catch fell $49.7 million.
The resource is still healthy. But economically the industry is in distress. The average price for the lobster catch last year fell to about $3.50 a pound, a 21 percent decline from 2007, when the catch came in at $4.44 a pound. The 2008 price was the lowest since 2002."
It's hard to tell how things will unfold this year. The price per pound is currently lower than it typically is this time of year. Who knows what will happen when the lobsters start to pick up.
The article also mentioned, as I did in a post several weeks back, that a task force is exploring how to promote Maine lobster as a brand. Apparently they're expected to issue a report in the next couple of weeks. I'll be on the look out for that.
For current updates on the Maine lobster fishing season, click here.
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