A lobsterman moves a lobster to the banding table aboard his boat while fishing off Spruce Head in August 2021. AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, file

Maine’s commercial fishermen hauled in 86 million pounds of lobster in 2024 — the smallest catch in nearly 15 years, according to preliminary data released by the state Friday.

But the value of fishery increased by $46.4 million to $528.4 million last year.

And lobstermen earned an average $6.14 per pound, up from $4.97. It’s the second highest price per pound for lobster in the history of Maine’s fishery, runner-up to the record $6.71 in 2021. For the last decade, the so-called dock prices have hovered around $4 per pound.

Lobstermen put about 285,000 fewer traps in Maine waters last summer, which could have contributed to lower landings. And lobstermen are grappling with research that shows Maine’s lobster population is on the decline.

Surveys have indicated the population of young lobsters in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Banks areas declined by 39% in 2020 to 2022 compared to 2016 through 2018. Lobstermen and industry groups, however, believe the federal data is inaccurate and say it was collected over a small and abnormal timeframe that doesn’t reflect the reality of population trends.

Lobstermen previously said they were fishing less in 2023, and in turn hauling less, because of the rising costs of doing business.

Patrice McCarron, executive director of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association, said Friday that she chalks last year’s drop up to Mother Nature. She didn’t think lobstermen fished less, like they did in 2023.

“(In 2024), the fishery was more reflective of what the older lobstermen witnessed 15 years ago,” she said, adding that this kind of fluctuation is normal in the fishery.

Because of higher dock prices, Portland lobsterman Tom Werner said he didn’t take any financial hits in 2024. He caught less lobster but made the same profit as 2023.

“The business is always up and down,” he said.

Industrywide, Maine fishermen hauled less fish, but the fisheries raked in $74.3 million more than 2023.

Behind lobstering, the softshell clam fishery was the second-most valuable last year, with a 5.71 million-pound haul and $15.5 million value.

Meanwhile, the elver fishery, which had held the No. 2 spot since 2021, dropped to No. 5, with the catch’s value decreasing by $7.31 million to a total of $12.2 million in 2024. Baby eels went for an average of $1,240 per pound last year, a decline of nearly 40% from $2,010 per pound in 2023.

The 2024 landings were announced at the annual Maine Fishermen’s Forum, which began in Rockport on Thursday.