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NOAA Fisheries has released its Fisheries of the United States 2010 report.
Fisheries of the U.S. is an annual snapshot of the landings and value of U.S. fisheries. This year it contains some good news - landings were up and the value of those landings was up.
U.S. commercial fishermen landed 8.2 billion pounds of seafood valued at $4.5 billion in 2010, an increase of 200 million pounds over 2009 and an increase in value of more than $600 million from 2009.
The report also highlights the top U.S. ports including the leader for the 22nd consecutive year, the Alaska port of Dutch Harbor-Unalaska. And, for the 11th consecutive year, New Bedford, Mass., had the highest valued catch, due in large part to the sea scallop fishery.
Another aspect of the report is seafood consumption. In 2010, the average American ate 15.8 pounds of fish and shellfish, a slight decline from the 2009 figure of 16 pounds. On a global scale, the U.S. continues to be third-ranked for consuming fish and shellfish, behind China and Japan. Imported seafood continues to increase to help fill consumer demand - about 86 percent of the seafood consumed in the U.S. was imported from overseas.
Eric Schwaab, NOAA Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, said: “These increases in fish landings and value are good news for our nation's fishermen and for fishing communities, where jobs depend on healthy fish stocks. We know fishermen are making sacrifices now to rebuild fish populations, and these efforts, combined with good science and management, support sustainable jobs for Americans.”
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