Maine’s lobster catch brought in an estimated $453 million to fishermen in 2014, an all-time high that was driven by the largest per-pound price increase in more than 50 years.
The Department of Marine Resources this week released preliminary catch figures, showing average prices jumped more than 25 percent — to $3.69 per pound — for the 2014 season.
That increase, paired with a catch sustained at more than 120 million pounds for the third consecutive year, made the 2014 catch the most valuable ever in Maine without adjusting for inflation.
Among counties with the highest catches, Washington County saw the biggest increase in value for its catch in 2014, up 30 percent to about $80.5 million. Hancock County, with the top catch value again last year, saw the second-largest increase in the value of its haul.
Waldo County, sometimes grouped with Knox, had 65 percent increase in catch value in 2014 to about $3.4 million.
Counties in the southern part of the state also saw a surge in total catch value, with the value of landings in York County up about 24 percent.
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