According to official figure commercial fishers landed 8.2 billion lb of seafood last year worth USD 4.5 billion or 200 million lb and USD 600 million more than in 2009. The figure from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) also states that the rise in fish landings and value are good for US fishing industry where jobs depend on healthy fish stocks.
Eric Schwaab, assistant NOAA administrator for NOAA’s Fisheries Service, said that fishermen are making sacrifices now to rebuild fish populations, and these efforts, combined with good science and management, support sustainable jobs for Americans. NOAA’s report, Fisheries of the United States 2010, showed that fisheries generated USD 166 billion in sales and supported 1.4 million direct and indirect jobs.
Last year, commercial fishers landed 515.2 million lb of seafood in Dutch Harbour-Unalaska, up nearly 10 million lb over 2009 and climbing from USD 3.4 million to USD 163 million. The port of New Bedford came first for values of landings at USD 306 million in 2010, a 22.8 -per cent jump over 2009 — driven by a 28 per cent increase in the per-pound price of sea scallops — and the highest landing values in 30 years for that port. All coastal regions in the US had increases in total value of fisheries landings.
As per Schwab statement the authority is turning a corner on ending overfishing on wild stocks. NOAA has released National Aquaculture Initiative to build up private sector investments in aquaculture and create jobs.
