Parts of this article (those related to2019 NOAA status report ) need to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(October 2020)

Fishing industry in the United States

The USA, including Alaska, has a coastline of 19,900 km.
General characteristics (2004 unless otherwise stated)
EEZ area	11,350,000 km2 (4,380,000 sq mi)
Lake area	664,707 km2 (256,645 sq mi)[1]
Land area	9,161,923 km2 (3,537,438 sq mi)[1]
MPA area	390,000 km2 (150,000 sq mi)[2]
Employment	Primary: 36,000 (2002)[3] Secondary: 67,472 (2002)[4]
Fishing fleet	19,350 vessels aggregating 1.1 milliongrt.[5]
Landing sites	Most volume:Dutch Harbor Most value:New Bedford
Consumption	31.0 kg (68.3 lb) fish per capita (2003)[5]
Fisheries GDP	US$31.5 billion (2003)[5]
Export value	US$12.0 billion (2003)[5]
Import value	US$21.3 billion (2003)[5]

As with other countries, the 200 nautical miles (370 km)exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off the coast of theUnited States gives itsfishing industry special fishing rights.^[6] It covers 11.4 million square kilometres (4.38 million sq mi), which is the second largest zone in the world, exceeding the land area of the United States.^[5]

According to theFAO, in 2005, the United States harvested 4,888,621tonnes of fish fromwild fisheries, and another 471,958 tonnes fromaquaculture. This made the United States the fifth leading producer of fish, after China, Peru, India, and Indonesia, with 3.8 percent of the world total.^[7]

Historically,fisheries developed in the U.S. as each area was settled. Concern for the sustainability of fishery resources was evident as early as 1871, when Congress wrote that "... the most valuable food fishes of the coast and the lakes of the U.S. are rapidly diminishing in number, to the public injury, and so as materially to affect the interests of trade and commerce..." However, it was not until 1976, with theMagnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, that the federal government began activelymanaging fisheries.^[5]

Today, inland fisheries and nearshore marine fisheries are managed by state (or regional or county) fisheries commissions. State jurisdictions usually extend 3 nautical miles (6 km) out to sea. Coastal fisheries in the EEZ beyond state jurisdictions are the responsibility of thefederal system.^[5] The primary institutions of the federal system are eight regionalfishery management councils and theNational Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), also known as NOAA Fisheries.^[8] NMFS works in partnership with industry, universities, and state, local, and tribal agencies to collect data about commercial species.Fisheries observers on fishing vessels, transmit real time data electronically to NMFS.^[5]

NMFS works in partnership with the regional fishery management councils to preventoverfishing, and restore overfished stocks. Objectives are to reduce fishing intensity, monitor the fisheries, and implement measures to reducebycatch and protectessential fish habitat. NMFS is establishingmarine protected areas andindividual fishing quotas, and implementingecosystem based fishery management.^[9]

The U.S.EEZ is the second largest in the world, 1.7 times the land area of the US, and includes eightlarge marine ecosystems:

• Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf
• Southeast U.S. Continental Shelf
• Caribbean Sea
• Gulf of Mexico
• California Current
• Insular Pacific-Hawaiian
• Gulf of Alaska
• EasternBering Sea

This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(November 2017)

Nearshore fishing areas consist ofestuaries andcoastal areas that lie within 3 nautical miles (6 km) of the shoreline. These are under the control of the relevant coastal state rather than underfederal orNMFS control. They vary widely in species diversity and abundance. Many species are highly prizedgame fish, while others are smallforage fish used forbait, animal food, and industrial products. Those of greatest interest includeinvertebrate species like crabs, shrimps, abalones, clams, oysters, and scallops. Many species are of unknown status because it is difficult to assess their condition. There are no firm estimates exist for long termpotential yield.^[5]

Management is spread out among the coastal states and other local authorities, and a comprehensive treatment of the fisheries has not been attempted. Traditional techniques are usually employed, including size limits, catch limits, method restrictions, and area and time closures.^[5]

The coastal fisheries are the fisheries that lie within 200 nautical miles (370 km) of the coast that defines the exclusive economic zone, but outside the 3 nautical miles (6 km) distance that defines the nearshore fisheries. Coastal fisheries are under federal control in the form ofNMFS, as well as under the control of one of the eight regionalfishery management councils.

Traditionally the most valued fishery for the northeast region has beengroundfish. However, the groundfish, especiallyhaddock,yellowtail flounder, andcod, have beenoverfished. Record-low spawningbiomass levels occurred in 1993–1994, but these are now recovering.Dogfish andskate rebounded in the 1970s, while groundfish and flounder declined. These fish are an important part of theGeorges Bank.^[5]

The next most important fishery by value isAmerican lobster and Atlanticsea scallop. The Port of New Bedford, Massachusetts is America's #1 Fishing Port with fish landings valued at $369 million. Each year, there are nearly 50 million pounds of sea scallops landed there.^[12] Thestriped bass was driven to low levels early in the 1980s. Catch restrictions were applied in the mid-1980s, and by 1995, this species of fish had recovered. The region has valuablemollusk fisheries too. Offshore are sea scallops, surfclams, American lobsters, andocean quahog. Inshore areoysters,blue mussels,blue crabs, andclam fisheries. These fisheries are significantly exploited.^[5]

The fisheries in the Northeast Region are governed mostly by Fishery Management Plans (FMPs). An example of successful regulation is the 1994 Amendment 4 to the Sea Scallop FMP. This set out to control scallop fishing effort by not accepting more entrants, by restricting the time vessels could fish each day, and by requiring bigger mesh sizes ondredges. Additional protection for scallops was given closing parts ofGeorges Bank to groundfish fishing. The scallop population recovered.^[5]

The Southeast region spans theGulf of Mexico, theCaribbean Sea and the US Southeast Atlantic. Important species aremenhaden,drum,croaker,invertebrates,highly migratory species, reef fish, and othernearshore species.^[5]

Overfishing ofking andSpanish mackerel occurred in the 1980s. Regulations were introduced to restrict the size, amount of catch, fishing locations, and bag limits for recreational fishers as well as commercial fishers.Gillnets were banned in waters off Florida. By 2001, the mackerel stocks had bounced back.^[5]

Menhaden andstone crabs and the three major species of shrimp - (pink,brown, andwhite) - are fully exploited.Spiny lobster areover-exploited. Better data is needed if stocks are to be assessed accurately.^[5]

Until 2016, commercialfish farming was prohibited in federal waters, meaning that the Gulf of Mexico was closed to the practice.NOAA announced in January 2016, however, that companies can now set up commercial aquaculture in the Gulf. This is the first opening of federal waters to fish farming, which NOAA hopes will increase production and reduce the US's dependence on foreign fish imports.^[13]

On thePacific Coast, important rich resources and species arechum,Pacific halibut,Pacific salmon,shellfish,groundfish,flatfish,pelagic fishes,herring, and nearshore species. The stocks are mostly overfished or fully exploited.^[5]

• Salmon: Salmon production has decreased since the late 1970s, partly due to habitat degradation.
• Groundfish: this harvest is dominated byPacific whiting. Some stocks need rebuilding.Rockfish can live as long as 100 years, and grow and reproduce very slowly. This makes stock recovery very slow. In 2004, plans for rebuilding several overfished groundfish species were approved.
• Shellfish: Shellfish, such ascrabs,clams,shrimp, andabalone, sell for high prices, so their fisheries can be small by volume, but high by value. These fisheries are mostly fully exploited.Recreational fishers catch more of some species than the commercial fishers.^[5]
• Recovering stocks: After decades of decline,Pacific sardine populations are recovering. In 2004, the NMFS declared that, due to reduced harvest andbycatch,Pacific whiting were recovering.^[5]

In Alaska, theAleutian Islands, a series of over 300 rocky islands, stretch over 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from southwest Alaska to Russia. They are home to the largest fishing port in the U.S.,Dutch Harbor. The primary target species ispollock, butcrabs,salmon, andgroundfish are also important. Between 1997 and 2001, groundfish were caught bybottom trawling, a fishing method which destroys thehabitat of the groundfish, the ocean floorcoral, andsponge communities. In 2005, about 80,000 km² (30,000 sq mi) of seafloor around the Aleutian Islands were permanently closed to destructive fishing gears. In 2008,NOAA fisheries created the Aleutian Islands Habitat Conservation Area (AIHCA), most of which is closed to bottom trawling. At 725,000 km² (280,000 sq mi), the AIHCA is the largestmarine protected area in the USA.^[14]

The Western Pacific region includes the western and central Pacific, theHawaiian Islands, and the islands of theNorthern Marianas,Guam, andAmerican Samoa. These are tropical or subtropical waters. They have large species diversity, but, because ocean nutrients are not rich, thesustainable yields is low. Pelagicarmorhead is the only overfished stock.^[5]

• Groundfish fisheries:Groundfish, such assnapper,jacks,emperors, andgrouper, are harvested from coral and rock habitats, mostly around the Hawaiian Islands. While some stocks are under-utilized, other important species have declined to 30 percent of their earlier stock levels.^[5]
• Invertebrate fisheries: The maininvertebrate fisheries are in the north west Hawaiian Islands forslipper andspiny lobster. This fishery started in 1977, peaked in the mid-1980s, and then declined. The decline is thought to stem from oceanographic changes. Some recovery has occurred since 1991, due to entry and harvest restrictions.^[5]
• Highly migratory species account for 99 percent catch in this region, and are discussed below.

Thehigh seas, or international waters, are the waters outside the jurisdiction of the EEZ of any country. U. S. distant fisheries operate in some of these waters, alongside other nations, beyond the jurisdiction of any nation's coastal fisheries.

The main commercial species in the high seas are thehighly migratory species. These fish make long migrations across the high seas, and are fished by many nations. Highly migratory fish also cross boundaries without regard for international laws. In particular, they enter the EEZ zones of the U.S., which means they become important species also for U.S. coastal fisheries.

In the Atlantic, overfished species include:^[5]

• Tuna:bigeye in the Atlantic,albacore in the North Atlantic, andbluefin in the West Atlantic, withyellowfin tuna close to being overfished.
• Blue marlin,white marlin, andsailfish.
• Sharks:bull,dusky,bignose,night,Caribbean reef,spinner,silky,tiger,lemon,sand,nurse, scalloped,smooth hammerhead, andwhite shark.

Thebiomass ofswordfish in the North Atlantic has increased, probably due to catch reduction and strong recruitment.^[5]

In the Pacific, these transboundary fisheries are also important to otherPacific Rim nations, and to U.S. fleets fishing within and beyond the EEZ. The major U.S. catch stock is tuna, though billfish, swordfish, and shark are also caught. These stocks account for 99 percent of the Western Pacific region's catch.^[5]

Aseamount is a mountain rising from the ocean seafloor that does not reach the ocean surface. They are defined by oceanographers as independent features that rise at least 1,000 meters above the seafloor. There was big interest in seamounts during the 1960s, when it was discovered that they can maintain large stocks of commercially important fishes and invertebrates. From 1968 to about 1990, foreign fleets harvested pelagicarmorhead acrossseamounts in the Hawaiian Ridge. Since 1984, fishing has been prohibited there so that the fish stock could recover.^[5]

Generally, seamounts are found in the high seas, outside the continental shelves, and outside the jurisdiction of any nation's EEZ. However, the U.S. Pacific Coast region has an unusually small continental shelf, while the Western Coast region contains islands with no continental shelf. As a result, there are some seamounts within U.S. jurisdiction.

Fisheries in inland waters of the United States are small compared to marine fisheries. The largest fisheries are the landings from theGreat Lakes, worth about $13 million in 2003,^[15] with a similar amount from theMississippi River basin.^[16] This is less than one percent of the dollar value of the marine fisheries.^[5]

Until the late 19th century, the U.S.fishing fleet used sailing vessels. By the early 20th century,fishing vessels were built as steam boats with steam engines, or as schooners with auxiliary gasoline engines. By the 1930s the fleet was almost completely converted to diesel vessels. Fishing gear became more technical: Alaskapurse seiners were in use by 1870,longliners were introduced in 1885;otter trawls were operating in thegroundfish andshrimp fisheries by the early 20th century. In the late 1960s,factory ships from other countries started fishinghaddock,herring,salmon, andhalibut on traditional U.S. fishing grounds.^[5]

Technological advances have played an important role in the development of U.S. fisheries.Increases in size and speed allowed vessels to fish in more distant waters. Advances include doubletrawls, thePuretic power blocks for retrieving seine nets, refrigerated holds, durablesynthetic fibres forlines andnets,GPS to navigate and locate fishing grounds,fishfinders for the location of fish, andspotter planes to locate fish schools.^[5]

The vessel size and gear types of the U.S. fishing fleet varies geographically and between fisheries. Because of this, management of U.S. fisheries with a single policy is not feasible. Individual fisheries have their own biological, economic, and sociological characteristics which make broad policies impractical. On the other hand, ad hoc regulations for individual fisheries is not practical either.^[5]

U.S. fisheries use most fishing gear types. Vessels are often configured so they can change rapidly between two or more gear types, such aslobster pots tobottom trawls toscallop dredges. The main techniques arepurse seining andtrawling. Some vessels freeze their catch at sea, such asfactory trawlers,tuna boats, Alaskancrab pot vessels, and some southeast shrimp trawlers. Vessels usually land their catches near theirhomeports.^[5]

Based in Hawaii, alongline fishery fortuna andbillfish were popular. Now, newmanagement approaches, including placingfisheries observers on vessels to observe what is happening withprotected species such as albatross and leatherback, loggerhead and green sea turtles, is expected to reduceincidental catch.^[17]

By 2003,overfishing had occurred on 60 stocks. Another 232 stocks were not overfished. Overfishing had been stopped on 31 stocks, and a gain was made of 13 stocks that had been fully rebuilt. There were 617 other stocks which have limited data or for which criteria for overfishing had not been defined. These stocks mostly have harvests which are not significant, so they are not allocated research funding. Their assessment can be expensive, and there is no evidence of overfishing. Rebuilding strategies are operating or are being developed for most stocks which are overfished.

There were 267 major stocks, that is, stocks with at least 200,000 pounds (91,000 kg) in annual landings. Of these, 40 were overfished, 147 were not, and it was not known whether the remaining 80 stocks were overfished. There were 642 minor stocks, of which 20 were overfished, 85 were not, and the remainder had an overfishing status which is unknown or is undefined.^[15]

Amarine protected area (MPA) is federally defined as: "any area of the marine environment that has been reserved by federal, state, tribal, territorial, or local laws or regulations to provide lasting protection for part or all of the natural and cultural resources therein."^[18]

Fourteen MPAs covering 150,000 square miles (390,000 km²) have been federally designated asNational Marine Sanctuaries, and are administered by a division of theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).^[2]

In practice, these MPAs are defined areas where natural and/or cultural resources are given more protection than occurs in the surrounding waters. United States MPAs cover many habitats including theopen ocean,coastal areas,intertidal zones,estuaries, and theGreat Lakes. They vary in purpose, legal authorities, agencies, management approaches, level of protection, and restrictions on human uses.^[19]

The value ofaquaculture products grew from $45 million in 1974 to about $866 million (393,400 tonnes) in 2003.^[15]Aquaculture, in the United States, includes thefarming ofhatchery fish andshellfish which are grown to market size in ponds, tanks, cages, orraceways, and released into the wild. Aquaculture is also used to support commercial and recreational marine fisheries by enhancing or rebuilding wildstock populations. It also includes the cultivation of ornamental fish for theaquarium trade, as well as plant species used in various pharmaceutical, nutritional, and biotechnology products.^[20]

According to theFAO, in 2004 the United States ranked 10th in total aquaculture production, behind China, India, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Japan, Chile, and Norway. The United States imports aquaculture products from these and other countries, and operates an annual seafood trade deficit of over $9 billion.^[20]

Shellfish (oysters,clams,mussels), account for two-thirds of marine aquaculture production, followed bysalmon (25 percent) andshrimp (10 percent). Production occurs mainly on land, in ponds, and in coastal waters under state jurisdiction. As a result of recent advances in offshore aquaculture technology, commercial finfish and shellfish operations have been established in more exposed, open ocean locations in state waters inNew Hampshire,Hawaii, andPuerto Rico.^[20]

Total U.S. aquaculture production, includingaquatic plants, is about $1 billion annually, compared to the total world production of about $70 billion. Only about 20 percent of U.S. aquaculture production is from marine species.NOAA estimates that the annual U.S. domestic aquaculture production of all species could increase from about 0.5 million tons to 1.5 million tons by 2025.^[20]

Large aquaculture facilities (i.e. those producing 20,000 pounds (9,100 kg) per year) which dischargewastewater are required to obtain permits pursuant to theClean Water Act.^[21] Facilities that produce at least 100,000 pounds (45,000 kg) of fish, molluscs or crustaceans a year are subject to specific national discharge standards.^[22] Other permitted facilities are subject to effluent limitations that are developed on a case-by-case basis.^[21]

In a study of federal investment in the fishery sector in 1999, most aspects of United States tax, fisheries, and societal policies were examined to see whether they createdsubsidies for the fishing industry and whether these subsidies had impacts. The gross value of direct U.S. subsidies was about 0.5% of the gross ex-vessel value of commercial landings. There are no major ship construction subsidies, market development, or other forms of assistance that often exist in developed and developing fishing industries around the world.^[23]

In 2006, theU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimated that 30.0 million U.S. anglers, 16 years old and older, took 403 million fishing trips, spending $42.0 billion in fishing related expenses. Of these, 25.4 million were freshwater anglers who took 337 million trips and spent $26.3 billion. Saltwater fishing attracted 7.7 million anglers who took 67 million trips and spent $8.9 billion.^[24]

• Ancient Hawaiian aquaculture
• Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act of 1976
• Tidelands
• Continental shelf of the United States

• Commercial Fishing Safety in the USCDC.
• Kate Kauer; Lyall Bellquist; Jenn Humberstone; Vienna Saccomanno; Dwayne Oberhoff; Sherry Flumerfelt; Mary Gleason (July 2024)."Advancing fisheries sustainability and access through community fisheries trusts".Marine Policy.165 106210.doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2024.106210.

• Fishing industry by country
• Fishing in the United States

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