Commercial and recreational saltwater fishing generated $214 billion in 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 26, 2016

Fishing and seafood industries a strong part of U.S. coastal economy

Commercial and recreational saltwater fishing in the United States generated more than $214 billion in sales and supported 1.83 million jobs in 2014, according to a new economic report released by NOAA Fisheries today.

The report, Fisheries Economics of the United States 2014, provides the most recent statistics on commercial and recreational fisheries and seafood-related businesses for each coastal state and the nation. Key to the Report are the jobs, sales, income, and value added to the Gross National Product by the commercial and recreational fishing industries. This provides a measure of how sales in the two industries ripple through state and national economies, because each dollar spent generates additional sales by other firms and consumers.

The commercial fishing and seafood industry (including imports)—harvesters, processors, dealers, wholesalers and retailers—generated $153 billion in sales in 2014, an 8 percent increase from 2013, and supported 1.39 million jobs. Domestic harvest (without imports) produced $54 billion in sales, a figure similar to 2013, and supported 811,000 jobs across the broader national economy.

Recreational fishing remains an important part of coastal tourism industries around the country. The regions with the highest economic impact from saltwater recreational fishing were Florida’s West Coast, Florida’s East Coast, California, New Jersey, and Texas.

NOAA Contact:
Kate Brogan (301) 427-8030