The 2025 summer was lackluster for Atlantic lobster, especially in Maine where landings declined annually by 37.8%, January through July.
Data by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) via Expana Markets shows January-July catches in Maine reached 15.5 million pounds.
This lowest quantity since 2012 is not getting relief either by imports or exports in the United States’ context.
Even though imports from Canada had hit 30 million pounds by end July, they were 5.4% below 2024’s corresponding tally.
Most of the sales drag happened in Quarter 1, 2025 due to the tariff fallout before cross-border imports improved drastically in July.
The same goes for outbound live lobster shipments, which were 3% slower this year than in July 2024.
American lobster prices are the only exception for the year-to-date (y-t-d) period, during which they remained steady from undersupply. However, summertime offshore catches hiked on both Atlantic Canada and the U.S., downsizing prices by 12% vis-á-vis the 2020-25 median.
Summer and Fall Landings
Given that the main lobster season in Maine runs July through December, attention now turns to fall.
Although the Atlantic coast offers year-round fishing opportunities, it only peaks in end April through early June for hard lobster.
Then comes July and August when soft lobster molten or shed outer shells, grow larger and switch to warm coastal waters in plenty.
After this comes the October-December final onslaught when Maine’s approximately 6,000 lobstermen take to the fishery one last time.
The only problem is that some areas restrict fishing from October onward to protect the right whale, which impacts landings.
Luckily, simultaneous fall supplies mount on Canada’s northeast coast, whose second season also runs October through mid-winter.
So, could late year months offer an answer to preliminary trends that show Atlantic lobster catches were down in the 2025 summer? The below statistics offer an historical perspective on the production bit and its decline.
Atlantic Lobster Statistics
Between the United States and Canada, the Atlantic coast provides millions of dollars in lobster sales. In Maine, the lobster industry’s value hovered between $393.27 million (2022) and $528.42 million (2024), according to the state government. For Canada, total exports, mainly from Atlantic landings, average C$438 million ($315.23 million) per year.
Warming waters have however impacted the Atlantic lobster stock. According to AInvest, warming tides could render a 30 to 40% population decrease here before 2030. One of the victims will be the P.E.I. coast in the northeast Canada. The other is the south New England fishery which by 2025 had already lost 78% of its historical lobster stock.
Reserves in the Gulf of Maine, on the other hand, are currently under assessment. But as the table below from the Maine Gov shows, annual production decreased in the five years ending 2024, apart from 2021.
| Year | Total Landings [pounds] | Total Landings [tonnes] |
| 2024 | 86.125 million | 39,066 |
| 2023 | 96.957 million | 43,979 |
| 2022 | 98.957 million | 44,899 |
| 2021 | 110.704 million | 50,215 |
| 2020 | 97.954 million | 44,432 |