BANGOR - Maine lobstermen are reporting a lackluster autumn catch as they cope with rising expenses for fuel and bait.

The net income for most lobstermen on Mount Desert Island is down 20 percent to 25 percent, said Jim Dow, a Bar Harbor fisherman.

"It is spotty up and down the coast," Dow said. "We haven't had the big hauls we normally have."

Lobstermen in recent years have gotten their biggest hauls in the fall, and October has emerged as the top lobster-catching month the past two years. Even catches in November, typically a fraction of those in August, have exceeded August's in two of the past four years.

With lobstermen having a slow summer season, many were hoping for another strong fall.

Fishermen like to get about 3 to 4 pounds for every trap they haul, but this fall Dow said he has averaged slightly more than a pound per trap. To compound the matter, Dow has spent more money on diesel fuel and bait as he's moved his traps from place to place in search of the lobsters.

Clive Farrin, a Boothbay Harbor fisherman and president of the Downeast Lobstermen's Association, said his catch rate has been similar to Dow's.

Maine lobstermen last year caught a record 72.6 million pounds, according to the Department of Marine Resources.

But the value of last year's harvest fell to $297 million, down from $318 million, as the average price paid to fishermen fell from $4.63 a pound to $4.09 a pound.

The boat prices for lobstermen are now a bit higher than they were a year ago at this time, Farrin said. But they're hardly enough to keep up with the cost of doing business.

Diesel fuel was costing Farrin $3.25 a gallon on Monday, the highest price he's ever paid. A barrel of bait, he said, costs more than $100; not long ago, he thought $85 was expensive.

All of which puts Farrin "way behind" in terms of income, but he's not sure by how much.

"There's no doubt in my mind," he said. "I haven't dared to keep track of it."