Since pollution and overfishing of the oceans have become rampant, fisheries are again a topical issue. The United States is one of the world’s largest
fish producers, being ranked seventh worldwide - including aquaculture. Measured by pure capture production, the U.S. is even ranked fourth globally. Furthermore, the United States is among the top five exporters of fish and fishery products.
Around 8.2 billion pounds of fish were caught in the U.S. in 2010, a distinct decrease compared to 9.7 billion pounds five years earlier. Nevertheless, the
total landings revenue stood at a record 4.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2010. The major domestic species are pollock, menhaden, salmon, and flatfish, mostly caught to be processed into food, predominantly as fresh or frozen fish.
From a regional point of view, the Northern Pacific is the fishing ground where most of the fish for the U.S. seafood industry is caught. In 2010, approximately 4.3 billion pounds of fish were caught in this region alone. The leading U.S. state by
landings volume was by far Alaska, followed by Louisiana, Virginia, and California. Alaska’s landings revenue stood at some 1.6 billion U.S. dollars in 2010.
The United States is among the major traders of fish and fishery products. In 2011, total exports of all edible fishery products had a volume of 1.48 million metric tons, which were worth approximately 5.4 billion U.S. dollars. In the same year,
imports of edible fishery products reached some 2.42 million metric tons worth around 16.6 billion U.S. dollars. Thus, the United States is the top importer for fish and fishery products worldwide.
Photo: istockphoto.com / PicturePartners