March 14, 2024 — The state of Maine’s 2023 preliminary numbers for commercial seafood landings were released on March 1, showing a significantly strong year for the industry. The state’s Department of Marine Resources (DMR) shows commercial fishermen earning $611,277,692 for the 204,684,775 pounds of seafood landed on state docks.
The earnings showed an increase of $25 million from the year before. Governor Janet Mills shared that “the Maine seafood industry continues to be a powerful economic engine for our state.”
The top three species landed in the state were lobster (46%), menhaden or pogies (12%), and seaweed (10%). 93,734,116 pounds of lobster were landed for a $461,371,720 value. The value represents what is paid at the docks to fishermen and the dollars that flow throughout the state’s local economy. This showed about a $72 million increase.