Here you see the pleasing lines of the Fishing Vessel Judith Ann as she was tied fast to the Town Dock in Naskeag Harbor yesterday:
Perhaps she needed some tender loving care. Perhaps, as with other lobster boats, she had brought in some of her lobster traps as part of an attempt to cut expenses during this difficult year for lobster fishermen. There was a trailer load of lobster traps nearby Judith Ann yesterday:
Part of the fishermen’s problem is having to adjust to the breathtaking drops in lobster prices paid to them this season compared to those paid last season. Last year, prices hit historic highs of about $8.00 per pound, according to industry reports. As of October 17 this year, the reported price was $4.00 per pound for the “shedders” now being trapped. (Shedders are lobsters that have shed their old shells to grow and are within new, softer shells.)
The average lobster price to Maine fishermen in 2018 was $4.05 per pound, which would be $4.78 when adjusted for today’s inflation, according to industry reports. And there is the big rub: While today’s lobster prices to fishermen are down, the fuel, bait, equipment, and other costs of fishing have increased. Moreover, lobster prices at retail and in restaurants remain high, thereby dampening the demand for this “luxury” food. (Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on October 21, 2022.)