Slower Lobster Season Means High Prices, Worried Fishermen

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A drop in the catch of lobsters off Maine has customers paying more for the seafood and fishermen concerned about the future.

Maine’s harvest of lobsters is about 40% off last year’s pace through September. While October and November tend to be months of heavy lobster catch, the state’s fishermen are in jeopardy of bringing less than 100 million pounds of lobster to the docks for the first time since 2010.

The drag in catch has contributed to an uptick in price at some fish markets. Some Maine stores are selling lobsters for $12 per pound, about 10% more than a year ago.

Fishermen say lobsters have been slow to shed their shells this season. The catch usually picks up when many lobsters lose their old shells and reach legal size.