The adage “there are plenty of fish in the sea” was at least partially true in 2013 for Maine.

The Maine Department of Marine Resources recently released landing totals for 2013 that indicate some Maine fisheries are healthier than others.

While the shrimp industry has cratered, what is often called Maine's most important export, the lobster, was caught in record numbers in 2013.

The state's haul of 125.9 million pounds of lobster represents the second-highest gross caught in the state since the DMR started recording landings.

Those 125.9 million pounds of lobster were sold at $2.89 per pound, which was the second-lowest price since 1995. The previous year saw lobsters going for $2.69 per pound.

Despite the low price, the lobster that was caught was sold for more than $364 million, which represents a $22 million increase over 2012's final tally.

Jeff Nichols, DMR director of communications, said several factors could be contributing to the growing number of lobsters recorded.

“The industry has made a commitment to be a sustainable fishery,” he said. “It's a trap fishery, which by its very nature is eco-friendly.

“The conservation measurements are taken very seriously. I think everyone realizes how important it is to keep this fishery sustainable.”

Landings across all fisheries are reported to have actually decreased by 15 million pounds, while revenues are up by more than $2 million from a year ago.

For this year, the hope is that the newly-minted Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative will make an impact, Nichols said.

“The plan is to increase marketing, which will hopefully help across all sectors,” he said. “From fishermen to processors to dealers, there's a hope that this will have a return on the investment.”

The Marketing Collaborative was formed in 2013 to try and promote Maine's most important export across the country.

Despite the lobster fishery's success, the total landings across all fisheries was down in 2013 due to the reduced 2013 shrimping season which yielded 4 million pounds less than in 2012.