Alewife landings crashed in 1981 and have yet to recover to any of the 1950-1980 levels. While both the catch and value were depressed through 2000, more recent years have shown a rise in total value and price per pound. Latest data are preliminary.
Seagulls feasting on Alewives (2008)
Alewives at Damariscotta Mills (2008)
Alewives Historical Landings 1950-2016
| YEAR | POUNDS | POUNDS (millions) | VALUE | PRICE/LB |
| 1950 | 3,165,600 | 3.1656 | $28,294 | $0.01 |
| 1951 | 3,479,200 | 3.4792 | $26,067 | $0.01 |
| 1952 | 2,783,200 | 2.7832 | $29,763 | $0.01 |
| 1953 | 2,443,100 | 2.4431 | $27,529 | $0.01 |
| 1954 | 3,296,100 | 3.2961 | $26,643 | $0.01 |
| 1955 | 3,778,600 | 3.7786 | $33,024 | $0.01 |
| 1956 | 4,587,900 | 4.5879 | $41,833 | $0.01 |
| 1957 | 3,969,500 | 3.9695 | $32,453 | $0.01 |
| 1958 | 3,095,400 | 3.0954 | $31,841 | $0.01 |
| 1959 | 1,631,400 | 1.6314 | $18,795 | $0.01 |
| 1960 | 1,412,300 | 1.4123 | $17,609 | $0.01 |
| 1961 | 1,881,800 | 1.8818 | $26,241 | $0.01 |
| 1962 | 1,682,200 | 1.6822 | $20,644 | $0.01 |
| 1963 | 1,480,300 | 1.4803 | $21,957 | $0.01 |
| 1964 | 1,479,590 | 1.4796 | $23,543 | $0.02 |
| 1965 | 3,106,455 | 3.1065 | $43,588 | $0.01 |
| 1966 | 1,785,900 | 1.7859 | $35,718 | $0.02 |
| 1967 | 1,617,400 | 1.6174 | $48,522 | $0.03 |
| 1968 | 2,249,400 | 2.2494 | $44,988 | $0.02 |
| 1969 | 1,768,000 | 1.7680 | $35,360 | $0.02 |
| 1970 | 1,622,800 | 1.6228 | $32,456 | $0.02 |
| 1971 | 1,953,600 | 1.9536 | $39,072 | $0.02 |
| 1972 | 2,216,500 | 2.2165 | $44,330 | $0.02 |
| 1973 | 2,691,400 | 2.6914 | $80,742 | $0.03 |
| 1974 | 3,309,500 | 3.3095 | $99,285 | $0.03 |
| 1975 | 3,768,300 | 3.7683 | $150,732 | $0.04 |
| 1976 | 3,394,600 | 3.3946 | $101,838 | $0.03 |
| 1977 | 3,373,500 | 3.3735 | $134,940 | $0.04 |
| 1978 | 2,780,800 | 2.7808 | $139,040 | $0.05 |
| 1979 | 2,647,600 | 2.6476 | $132,380 | $0.05 |
| 1980 | 2,644,300 | 2.6443 | $158,658 | $0.06 |
| 1981 | 232,700 | 0.2327 | $16,289 | $0.07 |
| 1982 | 1,390,200 | 1.3902 | $97,314 | $0.07 |
| 1983 | 1,035,400 | 1.0354 | $82,832 | $0.08 |
| 1984 | 817,500 | 0.8175 | $57,225 | $0.07 |
| 1985 | 1,344,900 | 1.3449 | $107,592 | $0.08 |
| 1986 | 1,010,000 | 1.0100 | $70,700 | $0.07 |
| 1987 | 791,700 | 0.7917 | $55,419 | $0.07 |
| 1988 | 662,830 | 0.6628 | $53,026 | $0.08 |
| 1989 | 803,500 | 0.8035 | $72,315 | $0.09 |
| 1990 | 783,314 | 0.7833 | $77,085 | $0.10 |
| 1991 | 429,857 | 0.4299 | $40,575 | $0.09 |
| 1992 | 524,283 | 0.5243 | $47,185 | $0.09 |
| 1993 | 212,170 | 0.2122 | $21,151 | $0.10 |
| 1994 | 151,016 | 0.1510 | $13,591 | $0.09 |
| 1995 | 247,170 | 0.2472 | $27,190 | $0.11 |
| 1996 | 310,360 | 0.3104 | $40,074 | $0.13 |
| 1997 | 464,257 | 0.4643 | $53,507 | $0.12 |
| 1998 | 545,720 | 0.5457 | $60,030 | $0.11 |
| 1999 | 591,517 | 0.5915 | $76,897 | $0.13 |
| 2000 | 560,438 | 0.5604 | $72,857 | $0.13 |
| 2001 | 962,920 | 0.9629 | $134,809 | $0.14 |
| 2002 | 1,359,330 | 1.3593 | $176,713 | $0.13 |
| 2003 | 968,800 | 0.9688 | $136,357 | $0.14 |
| 2004 | 884,882 | 0.8849 | $134,749 | $0.15 |
| 2005 | 340,060 | 0.3401 | $56,744 | $0.17 |
| 2006 | 1,235,080 | 1.2351 | $235,658 | $0.19 |
| 2007 | 740,915 | 0.7409 | $149,449 | $0.20 |
| 2008 | 1,171,469 | 1.1715 | $252,832 | $0.22 |
| 2009 | 1,383,130 | 1.3831 | $298,719 | $0.22 |
| 2010 | 1,342,285 | 1.3423 | $290,377 | $0.22 |
| 2011 | 1,151,395 | 1.1514 | $290,046 | $0.25 |
| 2012 | 1,606,535 | 1.6065 | $426,320 | $0.27 |
| 2013 | 1,423,773 | 1.438 | $350,433 | $0.25 |
| 2014 | 1,720,285 | 1.703 | $482,212 | $0.28 |
| 2015 | 1,295,998 | 1.296 | $415,433 | $0.32 |
| 2016 | 1,292,662 | 1.2927 | $398,861 | $0.31 |
Source: Maine. Department of Marine Resources. http://www.maine.gov/dmr/commercialfishing/documents/alewife.table_002.pdf (accessed January 20, 2018)