Fisheries of the U.S., 2011

Statistical Report Card for U.S. Fisheries

Today, we release
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Fisheries of the U.S., 2011, our yearbook of key fisheries statistics.

Each year, we compile key fisheries statistics from the previous year into
an annual snapshot documenting fishing's importance to the nation. Inside
the 2011 report, you'll find landings totals for both domestic commercial
and recreational fishing by species. This information allows us to track
important indicators such as annual seafood consumption and the productivity
of top fishing ports.

Key highlights from the report include:

*       U.S. commercial fishermen landed over 10 billion pounds of seafood
valued at more than $5 billion. The 2011 totals represent the highest
overall commercial landings totals since 1994. Much of this volume increase
can be accounted for by increases in three species: Gulf of Mexico menhaden,
Alaska pollock, and Pacific hake.

*       Dutch Harbor-Unalaska, Alaska and New Bedford, Massachusetts remain
the top commercial fishing ports.

*       Americans consumed nearly 5 billion pounds of seafood in 2011,
slightly less than the previous year. Per capita consumption dropped from
15.8 to 15.0 pounds per person. Still, the United States surpassed Japan and
is now second only to China in seafood consumption.

*       Recreational catch and effort declined slightly in 2011.
Approximately 10 million saltwater recreational anglers took 69 million
trips and caught 345 million fish, nearly 60 percent of which were released.

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www.fisheries.org/afs/membership.html