ELLSWORTH — Steamed, boiled, broiled or baked under hot coals and sand or shipped to restaurants and processors hundreds or thousands of miles away, lobster remains a major driver of Maine’s economy, contributing more than $1 billion each year.
And lobstermen’s earnings accounted for more than a third of that amount last year — $388 million, according to preliminary data from the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) — bolstering local communities up and down the coast.
This year, boat prices are high but the catch is down, dealers say.
