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ELLSWORTH —
Maine’s lobster fishermen have been experiencing
one of their worst seasons in years, and even if
the fall fishery proves to be excellent, the
industry could see dramatically lower landings
for 2005.
When the
Department of Marine Resources (DMR) reported
that the state’s lobster landings totaled almost
71 million pounds in 2004, there was a lot of
hand wringing in the industry.
While the catch
netted some $286 million for lobstermen, by far
the best year the industry has ever seen, the
news was decidedly mixed. Although it appeared
that landings were the highest ever, they
actually were 20 percent lower than landings in
2002, the peak year for Maine’s lobster catch.
The reason for
that anomaly, according to Carl Wilson, DMR’s
senior lobster scientist, is that 2004 was the
first year Maine lobster dealers were required
to make detailed, monthly reports to DMR of the
amount of lobsters they purchased from
harvesters. Until last year, only a few dealers
filed reports, and those were voluntary.
Comparing the mandatory and voluntary reports,
DMR was able to confirm what many in the
industry long suspected — lobster landings were
seriously under-reported.
This year, it
appears lobster landings will be down again. The
2005 fishing season got off to a good start,
with lobster landings in April and May presaging
a banner year. Then it rained, and rained and
rained. The wet spring slowed the usual warm-up
of Maine’s coastal waters, and the cooler water
temperatures slowed the lobster fishery to a
crawl.
From June until
the middle of September, lobstermen along the
entire coast set their gear and waited for the
usual summer run of shedders (newly molted
lobsters) that make up the bulk of Maine’s
lobster landings and provide the bulk of the
harvesters’ income. This year, instead of the
normal glut of shedders, the softies, like
lobsters of every description, were in extremely
short supply.
“This year was
kind of a strange year for shedders,”
Wilson said.
In 2003 and
2004, the summer molt came two or three weeks
later than usual, but once it began there was no
shortage of shedders. This year, the molt began
late and cool water temperatures have kept the
process moving slowly.
“The sputtering
along of the molt caused the fishery to sputter
along,” Wilson said.
While it is far
too early to predict what total landings will be
this year, lobstermen from all parts of the
coast have been complaining of poor catches. The
complaints haven’t been just the run-of-the-mill
gripes. Some fishermen have reported that their
catches are 25 percent to 30 percent lower than
they were a year ago. While those reports are
only anecdotal, and while Wilson is far too
cautious to make any predictions about this
year’s landings until all of the numbers are in,
he said a 30 percent drop would not be a shock.
One problem with
determining how much landing will change is
that, late in the year, the fishing has begun to
improve. Since mid-October, lobster landings
have improved significantly, according to Jay
Burke of the Inland Lobster Company, once of the
state’s largest lobster dealers. Still, he is
very cautious.
“Whether the
increase will catch us back up to last year’s
levels, we’ll have to wait and see,” Burke said.
“It would take a very strong November and
December to catch up.”
How good the
fishery will be as fall turns toward winter is
anybody’s guess. “Will they have 40 fishing days
or 20 fishing days between now and the end of
the year,” Burke wondered.
“The fishermen
are trying to catch lobsters while they’re on
the move,” said Wilson. “They’re fighting the
weather and cold water.”
The spotty catch
has proved troublesome for harvesters and
dealers alike. According to Burke, the boat
price has remained high (currently about $4.25
per pound) and unusually consistent throughout
the season, but that figure is misleading.
Fishermen have
had to contend with sharp increases in the cost
of fuel and bait this year, and consumption of
those items isn’t closely tied to the size of
the catch.
The high price
also has put a squeeze on dealers, many of whom
work on very thin margins and have to sell a
large volume of lobsters to cover operating
costs. With lower catch levels this year, said
Burke, some dealers may be hurting.
“There have been
rumors all season long that some dealers’
margins were being squeezed,” he said.
The volume-price
connection is a complex one. According to Burke,
demand for lobsters is low now, and will remain
that way until the holiday season. Many dealers
have a stock of expensive lobsters in their
storage tanks that they can’t sell. If the catch
picks up, that problem will just get worse
The high boat
price has had another effect on the market. It
has chased away some buyers.
Canadian
processors buy a huge amount of Maine’s lobster
catch, but they can’t afford to pay the price
dealers have get for the lobsters they’re
holding. On another front, a large restaurant
chain that is a major buyer of Maine lobster has
reportedly reduced its order by one-third
because the price of lobster is too high to make
it attractive to their customers.
The high prices
and low landings have taken their toll.
In October, a
Downeast fisherman reported that his bank still
was deferring boat payments for several of its
lobstermen customers. Many banks accommodate
fishermen who are off the water during the
winter, but they usually bring their payments
current during the fishing season. While no
Maine lobster dealers have gone under this year,
a major Massachusetts’s lobster dealer, Seafood
Services Inc., of New Bedford, filed for
bankruptcy protection in September.
As for the
situation in Maine, “It wouldn’t surprise me to
see a couple of failures this year,” Burke said. |
