A changing harvest
In 1950, Maine recorded seafood landings of 356,266,000 pounds without aquaculture and ranked among the leading seafood-producing states. By 2009, the last national comparison cited in the source material, Maine ranked eleventh by pounds landed and third by value.
Preliminary figures for 2010 reported 251,299,375 pounds, including aquaculture, with an ex-vessel value of $450,664,717—an average of $1.79 per pound. These historical seafood landing figures show the sector’s substantial economic role, even though total pounds had declined by about one-third from the 1950 record.
Reading historical data carefully
Direct comparisons are complicated because aquaculture was included in the 2010 figures and the mix of species changed significantly. Monetary values are also nominal historical figures and should not be treated as current prices.
In 2010, aquaculture-produced Atlantic salmon accounted for 10 percent of pounds and 18 percent of value. American lobster represented 37 percent of pounds and 70 percent of the value of all species in that dataset.
Economic reach
The broader economic multiplier of commercial seafood is difficult to calculate. Industry estimates cited in the historical source placed the sector’s total value above $1.2 billion when related activity was considered. Recreational fisheries, party and charter boats, and fishing guides contributed additional activity, but the article’s source material cautioned that those multiplier effects were not well understood.
In 2002, Maine fishermen landed more fish and shellfish than any other Northeast state fishery for the eighth consecutive year. Portland ranked second in the Northeast and fifteenth nationally by the value of product landed.
Historical 2002 profile
- About 227 million pounds of fish and shellfish were harvested.
- Approximately 60 species were represented in the harvest.
- Lobster contributed $207 million of a $300 million total landed value.
- Atlantic salmon landings were valued at $17 million and clams at $15 million.
- Some 250 boats sold products through the Portland Fish Exchange.
- Estimated employment included 6,000 full-time and 4,300 part-time harvesters.
- The state recorded 18,000 fishing-harvesting licenses in 2000.
These figures are retained as historical snapshots, not descriptions of present-day landings, employment, licensing, or value.
Waterfront and tidal access
Research cited in the source estimated that commercial fishing generated 26,000 jobs and $740 million in economic activity at the time of publication. It also emphasized the dependence of fishing on a narrow band of coastal waterfront and dozens of ports that moved seafood from boats to markets.
Much of that access was provided through privately operated working residential and commercial wharves, with the remainder through public piers. Access to tidal flats is similarly important for harvesting clams and marine worms. Traditional access can be disrupted when coastal property use changes or established entry points close.
