Mainebiz

V O L . X X I N O. X X V I I I D avid Cousens has been fi shing for lobsters for about 40 years. For seven months each year, Cousens — a South omaston resident and long-time president of the Maine Lobstermen's Association — heads out early in the morning on his Young Brothers boat, " ree Sons," to tend 800 traps, spending 10 to 11 hours per day on the water. During the spring and early summer, the lobsters that crawl into his traps are still encased by shells that hardened up for the winter. By July, the growing lobsters are shedding their hard shells and beginning to grow new shells. Like that of other Maine fi shermen, 85% of Cousens' annual haul is new-shell lobsters, harvested through the rest of the summer and well into the fall. "Our season is set up year-round, but our big months are August, September and October," he says. Trends show the lobster resource is shifting east, possibly due to the warming ocean temperature. Living midcoast, Cousens sees great fi shing. Prices are good, too. is year, his earnings per pound averaged more than $4, an improvement on 2014's average $3.69, and coming close to the 2007, pre-recession level of $4.60. Prices are generally consistent coastwide, but fi shermen to the west may be earning less simply because they're fi nding fewer lobsters in their traps, he says. Cousens declined to cite revenue, but it's enough to make a living while covering a bucket load of profes- sional expenses. ese include bait and fuel, costing him $30,000 to $35,000 per year, approximately the same amount to pay his sternman, and $10,000 to $15,000 per year for boat and trap overhead. "And that's before you take any money out of it," he says. "You have to have a fairly good price to make any money." According to the Gulf of Maine Research Institute report "Understanding Opportunities and Barriers to Profi tability in the New England Lobster Industry," lobstermen in 2010 reported average gross revenues of $97,333, with an average $24,847 in profi t after expenses. e lobster industry largely caters to the dispos- able-income market, and so is vulnerable to economic downturns. When the economy crashed in 2008, fi shermen fared poorly, earning only $2.50 a pound. "Lobster's a celebration food and so, when the economy's bad, the market's bad," Cousens says. ese days, though, thanks to industry market- ing initiatives and a growing processing sector that eliminates the need for consumers to deal with live crustaceans, lobster is gaining broader appeal as a healthy, wild-caught protein. " ere's more market now," says Cousens. " e Asian market has taken off and the domestic market is doing better. More people are eating lobster: ey understand the health benefi ts. Plus, the economy is better. All of that works together." Economic multiplier Maine's lobster industry is the state's largest com- mercial fi shery. Cousens is one of approximately 5,800 people in Maine who hold a Class I license (no additional crew); Class II license (one additional crew); Class III (two additional crew); or student license. Fishing approximately 2.9 million traps in 2014, they generated $456.9 million in dockside value for landings of 123.6 million pounds. e latter fi gure compares with relatively constant landings, up until the late 1970s, of 30.87 million pounds per year, according to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. Accounting for the fi shery's wider economic impact, the value rises to over $1 billion, according to the GMRI report. is includes an extensive network of suppliers and buyers, everything from bait and fuel to processing and trucking. "Each one of those layers, you're looking at a lot of jobs in this industry," says Annie Tselikis, executive director of the Maine Lobster Dealer's Association. "It's often overlooked, but it's a huge contribution to rural communities — especially in Downeast Maine, where you see an unknown economic multiplier in these communities. People working in the lobster busi- ness are huge contributors to their coastal economy." e price per pound makes a big diff erence in earn- ings. Although 2014 landings were on par with 2013 and 2012, fi shermen earned $86.65 million more in 2014 than they did in 2013. at's because the price of $3.69 per pound was 79 cents per pound more than 2013's price, the largest one-year increase in per-pound value since the DMR and National Marine Fisheries Service began keeping records. e one-year increase in overall value was also the largest on record. e value of the increase itself was more than the total value of the fi sh- ery 21 years earlier, according to the DMR. e fi shery is also vulnerable to environmental conditions. at was highlighted in 2012, when an early shed created a supply of new-shell lobsters before processing plants were ready to take them, and the live market was unable to absorb the supply. is depressed value, with fi shermen generally earning less than $3 per pound. Nevertheless, the fi shery's overall value that year held steady because fi shermen made up for low earnings by bringing in more product. The changing lobster coast From trap to plate, lobster distribution is a complex system B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 1 5 14 millions of pounds 0 30 60 90 120 150 '14 '10 '06 '02 '98 '94 '90 '86 '82 '78 '74 '70 $0 $100 $200 $300 $400 $500 millions of dollars $0 $10M $20M $30M $40M $50M $60M Port Clyde Milbridge Southwest Harbor Jonesport Spruce Head Rockland Friendship Beals Portland Vinalhaven Stonington 2010 N/A 2014 N/A Maine lobster landings, 1970–2014 1 Top ports by ex-vessel value, all species 1 2014 data are preliminary; updated 2/25/15 S O U R C E : Maine Department of Marine Resources 2010 2014 1 Lobsters accounted for 78% of all ex-vessel value in 2014.

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