|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Harpswell has the most lobster licenses of any town in Maine. Those 254 lobstermen fish the most traps of any town in Maine, at 131,200 as of 2022, according to the Island Institute. Harpswell’s lobster harvest was worth $42 million at the dock in 2024, according to state data. The fishery’s economic impact beyond the wharf — in restaurants, retail, tourism — is several times higher.
The Harpswell Anchor’s 2026 special report, “The $42 Million Question,” examines the state of the lobster fishery in Harpswell. Anchor journalists interviewed lobstermen at wharfs across town and talked to scientists and economists to gain their perspective.
Harpswell’s fleet is showing signs of resilience as the statewide harvest tumbles from its high in 2016. But threats are ever-present, from federal regulations to the high price of diesel fuel, a changing ocean to an aging workforce.
How sustainable is the lobster fishery in Harpswell? There isn’t one answer. But the report gathers data and insights to illuminate the present and future of an industry inseparable from the town’s economy and identity.
