Maine lobster harvest hits record
Maine lobster harvest reaches 93 million pounds in 2010, beating the record for a Maine lobster harvest, set in 2009.
In this Oct. 6, 2010 photo, lobster traps and gear are seen on a wharf on Vinalhaven Island, Maine. The Maine lobster harvest hit a record 93 million pounds in 2010, worth more than $308 million.
Pat Wellenbach/AP/File
PORTLAND, Maine
Preliminary figures show Maine fishermen caught a record 93.4 million pounds of lobster in 2010, valued at more than $308 million.
The Department of Marine Resources said the harvest of Maine's signature seafood broke the previous weight record of 81.2 million pounds, set in 2009.
The catch was the third most valuable on record. The top year was 2005, when the harvest was worth $317.9 to lobstermen.
Lobstermen averaged $3.31 a pound for their catch, representing a 14 percent increase from a year earlier.
Officials said the overall seafood harvest in Maine last year totaled 245.3 million pounds valued at $448.7 million. The catch was up 14 million pounds from 2009, while the value of the catch increased about $120 million.