If fuel prices don’t come back down, seafood prices could go up in Maine and the US
By Jacob Murphy
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BRUNSWICK, Maine (WMTW) — As of Thursday afternoon, AAA says average diesel prices have risen to $5.90, more than a dollar up from what it was last month. While fuel costs are impacting everyone, it’s also having major impacts on Maine’s ocean economy.
“We fuel up every single day, multiple times a day,” said Kelly Punch with Mere Point Oyster Farmers.
The company owns multiple boats that oftentimes see eight hours a day on the water between harvesting oysters and running farm tours.
Punch said that typically, as fuel prices fluctuate, they absorb those costs, rather than putting them on customers. The issue now is the uncertainty as to when they will come back down.
“Having that lack of stability with fuel prices, I mean, prices for everything but fuel, especially, it’s been very stressful for us,” she said.
It’s not only the cost of taking boats out on the water. Ground transportation to move their oysters is more expensive, and equipment is getting more expensive as the price of plastic increases. Punch said trying to absorb all of it isn’t sustainable.
The Maine Lobsterman’s Association spoke with Maine’s Total Coverage and says lobstermen have also been feeling that pain at the pump, but it hasn’t hurt them too badly since the industry doesn’t start picking back up until May. The concern would be if prices don’t come back down until then.
If fuel prices don’t drop, that could eventually mean prices getting passed on to customers this summer.
“We’re working really hard to produce a quality oyster and to be able to afford people the luxury of a beautiful farm tour,” Punch said. “But as costs rise and our revenue decreases, it makes it increasingly hard to provide that experience.”
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Maine produces the majority of lobsters for the entirety of the U.S., along with being a major oyster supplier. Affording transportation costs to other states could also factor into pricing.
“Fish markets are feeling it, processors are feeling it, restaurants are feeling it. With the cost of our operations going up, eventually the cost of seafood will go up. The cost of all food will go up,” Punch said.
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