In February, NOAA Fisheries released the 18th Fisheries Economics of the United States Report (FEUS 2023).
Produced annually, Fisheries Economics reports provide a summary of the economic performance of U.S. marine fisheries and their impacts on the U.S. economy.
FEUS 2023 provides information on U.S. commercial fisheries economic impacts, landings, revenue, and price trends as well as other fisheries-related data.
Commercial Fisheries Highlights
Commercial landings, including edible (for human food) and industrial (meal, oil, and other non-edible uses), by U.S. fishermen at ports in the 50 states were 8.4 billion pounds or 3.8 million metric tons valued at $5.1 billion in 2023.
While overall landings increased by 153.2 million pounds, the overall value of seafood decreased by $762.9 million compared to 2022.
Finfish accounted for 87 percent of the total landings and 50 percent of the total value. The 2023 average ex-vessel price paid to fishermen was 60 cents per pound, down 10 cents from 2022.
Alaska pollock was the nation’s largest commercial fishery in 2023. Landings were 3.2 billion pounds, valued at $523.6 million.
Dutch Harbor, Alaska, and New Bedford, Massachusetts, were top ports for volume and value, continuing a more than two-decade trend driven by landings of pollock for Alaska and value of sea scallops in Massachusetts.
Key species or species groups with the highest landings value were crabs ($703.1 million), lobsters ($697.5 million), Alaska pollock ($523.6 million), salmon ($453.0 million), and sea scallops ($359.9 million).
source: National Marine Fisheries Service. 2026. Fisheries Economics of the United States, 2023.
NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-F/SPO-254, 30 p.
Related Information
Fisheries Economics of the United States 2022