Maine is the second-largest fishing state on the Atlantic Coast by value and volume, with total seafood landings valued at $475 million in 2013, up 63 percent from 2009, according to a report from Íslandsbanki, an Icelandic bank.

The report looked at trends and issues shaping the seafood industry nationally.

It found that Maine and Massachusetts together account for about 60 percent of the value of landings along the East Coast.

In Maine, total landings increased by 41 percent – from 93,695 tons in 2009 to 132,276 tons in 2013 – primarily due to increases in the state’s two largest species, lobster and herring.

Virginia is the largest fishing state on the Atlantic Coast by volume, but Virginia fishermen mostly catch menhaden, which is primarily used for fishmeal and fish oil and has a low value per pound.

On the Atlantic Coast, lobsters are the second most valuable species, behind scallops. Last year, Maine lobster was valued at $457 million.

Íslandsbanki, which financed the first Icelandic motorized trawler in 1904, provides financial services to fisheries internationally.


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