text: Explanation Sought for Lobster Decline (AP) AP - Maine's lobstermen have been hauling up phenomenal numbers for almost 15 years. Their 62.3 million pounds in 2002 set a record  #151; triple the typical catch during the 1980s. That's more than  #36;200 million worth of lobster and by far the dominant share of the Northeast's most valuable fishery. But can it last?