Maine’s lobster industry is under increasing strain due to a severe winter that has curtailed fishing activities, reduced catches, and exacerbated rising costs. According to the Maine Department of Marine Resources, the state, the largest lobster producer in the U.S., has seen its fourth consecutive annual decline in total catch.
The primary cause is fewer days spent fishing. Maine lobster harvesters undertook over 21,000 fewer fishing trips in 2025 compared to 2024. Total landings have fallen to just over 78 million pounds, marking the lowest level since 2008.
Lobsterman Greg Turner noted, “It started in December, and in December you usually get to fish a lot of days, and we didn’t get to fish.” Turner explained that crews fished about half as many days as normal during peak winter months due to extreme cold.
Colder temperatures have also impacted lobster behavior, further limiting catches. “It makes the lobsters slow down and stop crawling quicker, because when it gets cold, they don’t want to eat,” Turner added.
These harsh winter conditions have compounded existing financial pressures on the industry, including inflation, tariffs, and shifting market dynamics. Commissioner Carl Wilson of the Maine Department of Marine Resources noted that inflation and market uncertainty in 2025 have challenged fishermen’s bottom lines. A late molt also limited access to new shell lobsters during the summer, prompting some harvesters to reduce trips.
Despite these challenges, Maine’s commercial harvesters generated more than $600 million in 2025, marking the 14th straight year earnings exceeded $500 million. However, fishermen report that higher revenues have not translated into stronger profits at the dock.
Turner emphasized, “Trust me, we’re not getting it, we are not getting it. But I mean, everything’s gone up for us – the price to buy it, to transport it, cook it, prepare it, that must all be gone up too. It’s just the world that we live in now.”
The average boat price remained relatively strong at $5.85 per pound, but industry advocates argue that higher dock prices are needed to sustain fishermen. Alexa Dayton, executive director at the Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries, stated, “We want to see a higher price on the dock. That’s what’s going to go directly to your fishermen and, hopefully, keep them fishing because they’re a really, really important part of our community.”
Dayton is currently conducting a cost survey of several hundred lobstermen, with early responses highlighting the significant drop in fishing time this winter. “They ideally want to be out, you know, 15 days in a month. This year they’re down to about five days,” she noted. She also pointed out uneven ocean conditions across the state, with waters in Down East Maine being significantly colder than average, while parts of the western Gulf of Maine have seen relatively warmer conditions.
Rising input costs are adding further strain. Dayton mentioned that bait prices have surged dramatically since her last survey in 2010. “I mean it’s like 350% increases. It used to be kind of a thing you didn’t really worry so much about. Now it’s a real driver at the end of the day, what’s left in your pocket,” she explained.
The financial pressure extends beyond the docks into coastal economies, as many communities rely heavily on fishing income. Dayton stated, “But the stress of making a living and, again, you’re sort of watching days go by without an income that hurts both the fishing industry and also what happens on Main Street… this is, you know, 80% dependent on fishing for many of these coastal communities, at least that’s what our survey shows, and it trickles right down to what happens at the grocery store.”
She added that most Maine lobstermen operate as small, independent businesses rather than corporate entities, making them particularly vulnerable to cost swings and lost fishing days. “Fishermen operate their own individual businesses here in Maine. These aren’t corporate owners. I think that makes us unique and special.”
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