Maine’s Fishermen and Women Haul Record Year by Over $100 Million

Seafood is expensive.

Us New Englanders are blessed with phenomenal, locally-caught lobsters, mussels, oysters, fish of all kinds, and more.

Other places in the United States rely on us. Not you ready and me necessarily, but the Maine fishermen and women who risk their lives to catch this delectable seafood.

I mean, how often do you see "Maine Lobster" for sale at restaurants outside of New England? All the time! Everyone knows the best seafood comes from our neck of the woods, right here on the New England Seacoast.

According to a Statistica article, nearly 200 million pounds of lobsters are consumed each year in the United States.

The monetary value of a season of seafood is what I found to be mind-boggling.

In 2016, Maine's fishermen and women broke records when they hauled in $733 million dollars in lobsters, clams, scallops, and more, according to a US News article.

That record was not just broken, but destroyed last year.

Just announced Monday, May 2, 2022 by the The Maine Department of Marine Resources, Maine fishermen and women brought in $891 million dollars worth of seafood in 2021, according to a Maine Public article.

That is 20% higher than the previous record, which could not come at a better time. After the pandemic devastated work places everywhere in 2020, the seafood industry was hurt.

Lobster harvesters saw a 60% jump in lobsters at the docks in 2021 as compared to 2020.

To put that into perspective, the previous record for ALL seafood was in 2016, valued at $733 million. Last year, $730 million (nearly the same amount) accounted for lobsters only. That does not include crabs, clams, scallops, and more.

“On the heels of a global pandemic that has challenged every link in the supply chain, the men and women who harvest, cultivate, process and sell seafood from Maine continue to ensure that the highest quality products find their way to market," said Governor Janet Mills in a statement.