My grandfather/brother’s buoy color pattern. Photo courtesy of Chad Hangen.
Note: If you’re looking for the current Maine lobster price, click here.
The price of lobster in Maine ebbs and flows like the tide, depending on supply and demand. The Fourth of July almost always drives a spike in the price of lobster and this held true for Independence Day 2015. The current boat price of lobster is $5.85 in Cutler, where my family fish. This is an excellent price per pound for hard shell lobster for Maine fishermen – it is a healthy jump up from the boat price of lobster in June and a higher price than fishermen were paid last year.
The market price of lobster in Maine seems to be holding a bit more steady. Hannaford grocery store is still selling lobster for $7.99 – $9.99 per pound throughout the state and some online lobster shipping companies are selling lobster in that range as well. It is at the discretion of the individual retailer whether to pass any price increases on to customers.
So what’s influencing the current price of Maine lobster? An exceptionally cold winter has led to colder ocean temperatures. The temperature of the ocean impacts when lobsters shed their shell and the start of the Maine lobster season. Because the ocean is a bit colder this summer, the lobsters have yet to molt. When they do, the fishing will pick up and the market will become flooded with new shell lobster, causing the overall price of lobster to drop.
For information on the price of lobster in Maine this October, click here. For more insight into the lobster season in Maine, click here.
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