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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 37 Number 8
April 2010
2009 Maine lobster landings up, price down
WEST BOOTHBAY HARBOR, ME – The official news on preliminary 2009 Maine lobster landings mirrored what most lobstermen saw in their own bottom lines: poundage was up; price was down.
As of March 16, the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) reported that 2009 landings totaled roughly 77.4 million pounds, up 7.5 million pounds from 2008. Yet, despite the significant increase in pounds, total value dropped by a staggering $17.9 million, dipping from roughly $244.9 million in 2008 to $227.0 million in 2009 (see table for exact numbers).
The figures will go up a bit as late dealer reports trickle in and get factored into the preliminary statistics.
The DMR also reported that the number of people in the fishery remained fairly steady. Of the state’s 6,065 commercial lobster license holders, 4,330 were “active lobster harvesters” in 2009, down 177 from the 4,507 who were active in 2008. Total trips fluctuated only a bit. Active harvesters made 253,919 trips in 2009 compared to 269,547 in 2008.
Healthy stock
Nearly everyone reacted to the latest figures in the same way, expressing great confidence in the status of the resource but continued worry over depressed prices.
Of the increased landings, Mike Dassatt of the Downeast Lobstermen’s Association said, “It basically means our conservation measures are working.”
DMR Commissioner George Lapointe emphasized that Maine lobstermen have landed roughly 750 million pounds of lobsters over the past dozen years.
“That’s huge,” he said. “That shows we’re way over the long-term average. Biologically, the fishery looks good.”
David Cousens, president of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA), said that given the terrible price situation, last year’s higher landings were crucial.
“Everyone agrees we caught more lobsters,” he said. “That saved a lot of people.”
Resource wise, Cousens believes the industry is on firm footing for several years to come.
“I have never seen so many little lobsters in my life as I did last summer,” he said. “I saw more than in the early 1990s, and those were the little ones that later produced our peak landings.”
Where’s the money?
The contrast between landings and price, however, was stark. One lobsterman anonymously confessed that, although his personal poundage landed was up 35% in 2009, his total income increased by a mere $2,000.
MLA board member Bob Baines said the price in 2009 was roughly $2 per pound less than in 2006, generally speaking, ups and downs aside.
Meanwhile, he said, expenses have increased on many fronts, particularly for gear. Trap costs, buoy costs, and the significant amount of capital people have had to put into “whale-safe” sink rope deeply affected profit margins.
“That’s money that’s not going into local economies,” said Baines.
Fuel, bait stable
At the Stonington Lobster Co-op, the standpoint was much the same.
“Our volume was up substantially,” said co-op Manager Stevie Robbins III. “But overall, the price was depressed from the year before.”
Several factors helped the co-op – and many of its members – make it through the year in one piece.
For one, said Robbins, the facility had landings coming in 12 months of the year, not just during the peak summer/fall season.
“We do best if our volume is spread out as much as possible,” he said.
Furthermore, day-to-day operating expenses smoothed out a bit, which greatly helped co-op members.
“Diesel fuel prices were substantially lower and much more stable than last year (2008), and the price of bait was very consistent,” he said.
But while 2009 gave many lobstermen a relative moment of relief, it wasn’t an easy ride by any means.
Robbins said, “I don’t remember a more tumultuous time in the industry than the last few years.”
Landings, price reality
According to Cousens, part of the problem is that people have taken a deeper economic hit than what’s indicated on paper.
Although the DMR referred to 2009 landings as “the highest lobster landings ever recorded since DMR and the National Marine Fisheries Service began keeping records,” Cousens noted that actual landings were much higher from 1999 to 2003 – topping 90 million pounds yearly by some estimates.
But since mandatory dealer reporting had not been implemented yet, a notable chunk of the state’s lobster landings never made the official tally sheet.
What this means is, while the 2009 landings figure of 77.4 million pounds is the documented record-breaker, it really isn’t by some accounts. And long-time lobstermen still find their personal catches off from the heyday, Cousens said.
Furthermore, the dramatic drop in price per pound, which several said averaged out to be $2.90 a pound or so in 2009, has led to considerable hardship.
Commissioner Lapointe was troubled by the fact that, despite higher landings, the dockside value of the catch dropped over $90 million from 2005 to 2009.
“That’s a huge reduction in the value of the fishery,” he said. “And we can see it. We see it in people being concerned about their bottom line, and that money is not trickling through the Maine economy, especially through our coastal communities.”
Getting by
No question, 2009 was another tough economic year for many in the fishery, bracketed by those rock-bottom prices and a nationwide recession.
Nonetheless, some lobstermen said they were getting by – in large part by modifying their fishing practices.
Mike Dassatt was one of them. These days, he’s down to 400 traps – give or take – and working them differently.
“With limited gear, I’m paying attention to my gear, and I’m able to fish it more efficiently,” he said.
Furthermore, Dassatt said he’s fully utilizing his bait, letting it “fish longer,” and he’s running the boat slower, which saves on fuel.
“There are a lot of adjustments that can be made,” he said.
Others echoed that sentiment.
“There are guys who can weather this,” said Cousens.
However, several noted that those in the best shape are the people who don’t have big boat payments or significant outstanding debt.
And, they said, the road to redemption seems to lie in marketing.
“There’s agreement among people that we need to get more value per pound,” said Lapointe.
Dassatt added, “I like the idea of in-state processing. Don’t send the product to Canada.”
During the March 4-6 Maine Fishermen’s Forum in Rockport, lobstermen discussed marketing issues during a couple of different seminar sessions.
And Dassatt continued to push a concept he has promoted since 2001.
“I would like to see communities of fishermen form their own groups so they can market their lobsters from the boat all the way to the consumer. Tag that product so it’s identified with a specific community, develop a web site and promote it, and the people will know it’s a guaranteed Maine lobster,” he said.
Janice M. Plante
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