Maine lobstermen take great care to preserve the resource when harvesting Maine lobster. They still catch lobster the old fashioned way, hauling one trap at a time from the ocean floor. This labor-intensive process, along with high capital costs, must be considered in lobster pricing. Here are just a few of the costs lobster harvesters deal with every day: A first time boat can cost as little as $3000, while the larger harvesters can spend over $200,000. The smaller boats (14 - 22 feet long) fish traps close to shore, often by young people learning the trade. Larger boats are from 22 to 45 feet long and may harvest several hundred traps per day. The combined cost of traps, rope, and buoys cost anywhere from $50 to $80 each (a harvester purchasing 800 traps might spend as much as $64,000 - a substantial capital cost). One unpredicted storm could wipe out an entire stock of traps, costing a harvester thousands of dollars!

Address: 382 Harlow Street, Bangor, Maine 04401
Telephone: 207 947-2966
Website: http://www.downeastlobster.com/