Maine has supplied about 80% of America’s lobster catch every year since 1982

How Maine’s digital economy grew

The 80% fishery

The Gulf of Maine fishery has averaged 82% of all US lobster landings every year since 1982. Roughly 5,600 licensed lobstermen — independent, small-boat operators — hand-harvest the entire catch by trap, and lobster alone accounts for more than 70% of the value of all commercial seafood landed in the state, contributing an estimated $1 billion a year to Maine’s economy.

The rules behind it are codified law: every commercial license is capped at 800 traps, lobsters must fall within a specific size range that protects both juveniles and the biggest breeders, and every egg-bearing female must have her tail notched before release, permanently protecting her from harvest — a conservation practice with few real parallels in US fishing.

Destroyers on the Kennebec since 1884

Bath Iron Works has built US Navy ships for over 140 years, launching a destroyer every 17 days at its WWII peak. General Dynamics bought the yard in 1995, and it remains the lead yard for the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer program — the longest-running surface combatant shipbuilding program in Navy history — employing more than 6,000 people as Maine’s fourth-largest employer.

How Maine businesses buy websites

Maine is the least densely populated state east of the Mississippi — most of its businesses are small, independent operators serving Portland, the coastal towns, and the vast, sparsely populated interior.

How well do you know Maine’s digital economy?

3 quick questions. Get all 3 right and you win a 10% off discount code. Every answer is somewhere on this page.

Why FastSites works here

A state of independent lobstermen and a shipyard that’s built the same reliable destroyers for 140 years understands the value of doing one thing well. A clear one-page site, live in days, at a published price, is that same instinct for a small business.