Growing Maine's Agriculture and Marine Economies

• Maine maple syrup production has more than doubled since 2010. In 2017, the double season yielded 709,000 gallons, up from 315,000 gallons in 2010 and up 5% from 2016.
• The number of maple taps has grown by more than 20%  since 2010, going from 1.47 million in 2010 to 1.89 million in 2017. 2017 was up 2% over the prior year.
• Maine's maple industry has an annual statewide economic contribution, including multiplier effects, of an estimated $48.7 million in output, 805 full- and part-time jobs and $25.1 million in labor income.
• Maine commercial fishermen landed more than a half-billion dollars' worth of marine resources in 2017. At $569,173,089, the total value stands as the fourth highest ever and marks only the sixth time that Maine harvesters have surpassed $500,000,000.
• Lobster landings in 2017 were the sixth highest on record at 110,819,760 pounds. For an overall value of $433,789,855 which represented the fourth highest landed value for Maine's iconic fishery. When accounting for bonuses paid to harvesters by 15 of 20 Co-Ops, the overall landed value of lobster was $450,799,283.
• Herring, the primary bait source for the lobster industry, represented the second most valuable commercial fishery at $17,993,786 on the strength of a record per-pound price of twenty-seven cents. Harvesters landed 66,453,073 pounds, most of which was harvested from the in-shore Gulf of Maine area known as Area 1A.
• Maine scallop harvesters landed the most scallops since 1997, bringing ashore 793,544 meat pounds, a nearly 45 percent jump from 2016. At $9,300,111, scallop landings had the highest overall value since 1993.
• Maine elver harvesters were the most valuable on a per pound basis. Harvesters landed 9,343 pounds. At $1,303 a pound, the elver fishery was valued at $12,155,672, the fifth highest per pound and overall value in the history of the fishery.
• Due to LePage Administration tax policy changes, Maine horticulture sales have increased 43.6 percent—from $49.1 million  in 2009 to $70.5 million in 2014. The number of Maine horticultural operations increased from 250 to 320, a 28 percent increase over the same period. The 43.6 percent increase in sales is more than double the national average increase of 18 percent.