The Gulf of Maine extends from Cape Cod in Massachusetts, to the coasts of New Hampshire, Maine, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick, and to Cape Sable, Nova Scotia. An important part of the Gulf is Casco Bay, which supports substantial varieties of marine life, but is in the midst of the highest concentration…
Lobster landings occur all along Maine’s long coastline. Stonington in Hancock County is by far the port receiving the largest amount and value of this commercial fishery. Lobster’s $435 million plus ex-vessel value accounted for 77% of the total value of commercial fish landings in 2011. Historical landings have increased substantially in recent years. The…
After two closures since 1964, a productive skate fishery still eludes commercial fishermen in Maine. The trendline in the Price per Pound chart is not very informative due to the erratic nature of the landings. YEAR POUNDS VALUE PRICE/LB 1964 225,173 $1,216 $0.01 1965 377,574 $2,332 $0.01 1966 572,394 $3,510 $0.01 1967 180,984 $1,060…
Since 1973 the commercial fishery for skate had two, short lived, peaks. It has yet to recover from the decline that began in 1995. The return had been modest at best, reaching $.25 per pound briefly. No landings were recorded from 2006 to 2009, and 2011-2016. YEAR POUNDS VALUE PRICE/LB 1973 3,320 $268 $0.08…
The once substantial landings of Atlantic Redfish by commercial fishermen began a severe, and as yet unending, decline, in 1962. The many years of landings exceeding 60 million pounds has ended, with recent catches well below 200,000 pounds. The higher prices per pound are undoubtedly little comfort to those who have few fish to sell.…
From 1950 to about 1974, commercial fishermen saw relatively low total value and prices per pound when landing American Pollock. Then the landings increased and so did the total value and the per pound price. As the big landings began to decline, the price per pound climbed to a range between $.60 and $.80. With…
`Do you know why it’s called a whiting?’ [said the Gryphon] `I never thought about it,’ said Alice. `Why?’ `It does the boots and shoes.’ the Gryphon replied very solemnly. Alice was thoroughly puzzled. `Does the boots and shoes!’ she repeated in a wondering tone. `Why, what are your shoes done with?’ said the Gryphon. `I mean, what…
From 1950 through 2005, commercial fishermen have taken an average of 4.5 million pounds of white hake per year. Since 2005 that average has dropped to 1 million pounds, lower than any other period since 1950. Begginning in 1985 the price per pound value of these fish began to increase so that current prices are…
Once little exploited by commercial fishermen, urchin harvesting began in earnest in the mid-1980s. After reaching a peak in 1993, harvests declined to less than one-tenth of that in the peak year, with the total value falling in step. As urchins became scarce, the price per pound has tripled from the peak harvest year of…
Commercial fishermen who harvest monkfish, also known as American goosefish, have had substantial landings for most of the period 1974 through 2011. However, the recent rapid decline since the peak in 2005 is troubling and may signal several year of closure unless the resource rebounds. As usual, prices per pound rise with declining landings. They…
This species of the commercial fishery has a post-1950 history familiar to many others: moderate or low production, then a spike with several years of substantial landings, then a crash followed by a forced closure to rebuild the stock. It appears that once the good landings created a wide market, the price per pound moved…
After declining from 1950 to 1977, landings spiked then crashed with a consistent decline until the fishery was suspended in 2010. No landings have been recorded through 2016. During the decline in landings and total value, the price per pound continued to rise. In the deep ocean waters off New England’s coast lives one of…
Commercial fishermen are landing fewer pounds of Witch Flounder than ever since 1950. Very high unusual landings in the 1980s have been followed by a severe decline that has practically eliminated the fishery. In response, the price per pound has doubled since the 1980s. YEAR POUNDS VALUE PRICE/LB 1950 1,207,900 $62,872 $0.05 1951 1,634,700 $105,900…
The boom and bust cycle of winter flounder landings by commercial fishermen has “busted” after a peak in 1982. With the scarcity, price per pound had been climbing until the fishery was closed in 2007. No landings have been recorded since then. According to NOAA’s FishWatch program, Heavy fishing pressure and habitat destruction caused winter…
Historically low periwinkle harvests by commercial fishermen (averaging about 118,000 pounds per year) suddenly spiked in 1989 to 3.8 million pounds, then crashed to a level after 1993 of averaging about 616,000 pounds. The decade ending 2016 rebounded to an average of 852,041. In a narrow range of 6 to 8 cents a pound from 1950…
Harvesting Northern Quahogs by commercial fishermen has been a rocky business over the period for which data is available. (Gaps are related to quota regulations to protect the resource.) Otherwise known as “hard clams,” these shellfish are sometimes completely absent from the harvest rolls, sometimes overflowing. Until the year 2001, the price per pound only…
Mahogany Quahog (also known as “mahogany clams” or “hardshell clams”) harvests by commercial fishermen, in recent times, peaked in 1986. A drop in the mid-1990s recovered for about ten years, then dipped to about $2.5 million in recent years. Since the early 1990s, the price per pound has averaged about $.40, ranging from $.30 to…
While still below the highs of the 1950s and early 1960s, Atlantic herring landings by commercial fishermen have been relatively consistent since the early 1990s in a range of 75 to 95 million pounds. More Videos! facebook Since 2002 the total value of the landings has increased substantially. In the same period herring was returning…
The volume of halibut landings taken by commercial fishermen has never recovered from the relatively large numbers of the 1950s and 1960s. Following some good years in the 1980s, landings dropped sharply and have yet to recover. The shortage of halibut has driven prices per pound to historic highs. YEAR POUNDS VALUE PRICE/LB 1950…
After declining from 1950 through 1973, landings of haddock by commercial fishermen rebounded sharply to a peak of over 5 million pounds in 1983. However, an equally sharp decline has left the fishery far from the heady days of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. Since then, the price per pound has fluctuated in a…