NOAA Fisheries has released Fisheries of the United States, 2017 and Fisheries Economics of the United States, 2016. Fisheries of the United States provides data on commercial landings and value and recreational catch. It also includes data on the fish processing industry, aquaculture production, imports and exports, and per capita seafood consumption. Our Fisheries Economics of the United States reports analyzes the economic impact of fisheries and related sectors, including employment, sales, and value-added impacts to the broader economy.
The continued, steady high landings and values of U.S. fisheries we’ve seen over the last five years points to the collective progress that our agency, the eight regional fishery management councils, and our stakeholders are making as we work to ensure the sustainability and economic stability of our nation’s fisheries. Ending overfishing was a difficult process that took many years, but we are now enjoying the payoff from the steps we took as a nation to make our fisheries sustainable.
ishing and seafood consumption in the United States increased in 2017, with landings and value of U.S. fisheries continuing a strong, positive trend. Across the nation, American fishermen landed 9.9 billion pounds of fish and shellfish in 2017, while the U.S. imported 5.9 billion pounds of seafood, up 1.6 percent. The landed 9.9 billion pounds of fish and shellfish in 2017 represents an increase of 344 million pounds (3.6 percent) from the year before. The value of the landings also increased to $5.4 billion, up $110 million (2.1 percent) from 2016.
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