NOAA Fisheries recently released its annual report, Fisheries Economics of the U.S., 2014. The ninth volume in the annual series, the report is intended to provide the public with economic information about U.S. commercial and recreational fishing activities and fishing-related industries.
Fisheries Economics of the U.S., 2014 Highlights:
Commercial fishermen in the U.S. harvested 9.4 billion pounds of finfish and shellfish in 2014, earning $5.5 billion for their catch.
Landings Revenue
Landings revenue in the U.S. totaled $5.5 billion in 2014. 10 U.S. key species or species groups accounted for 62 percent of total landings revenue in 2014. Contributing the most to total U.S. revenue were shrimp ($702 million), followed by Pacific salmon ($617 million), American lobster ($567 million) and sea scallop ($424 million).
Landings by Volume
In 2014, U.S. commercial fishermen landed 9.4 billion pounds of finfish and shellfish. The top three species in terms of pounds landed included walleye pollock (3.1 billion pounds), menhaden (1.2 billion) and Pacific salmon (720 million).
Over 60 percent of total catch in 2014 was made up of the 10 U.S. key species and species groups. Walleye pollock and menhaden had the highest landings in 2014, with 3.1 billion pounds and 1.2 billion pounds landed, respectively.
U.S. Seafood Industry
In 2014, the seafood industry supported nearly 1.4 million jobs and generated $153 billion in sales impacts. Seafood industry jobs increased by 3% from 2013.
source: NOAA Fisheries