Commercial fishermen in the U.S. landed 9.6 billion pounds of fish and shellfish in 2012, valued at $5.1 billion, the federal government reported Wednesday. That’s a decrease of 224 million pounds, down 2.2 percent, and $168 million, or 3.2 percent, compared with 2011.
U.S. consumption of fishery products was 14.4 pounds of edible meat per person in 2012, down 0.8 pounds from the 2011 per capita consumption of 15 pounds. New England saw seven percent growth in total landings, volume, and value, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports.
Massachusetts and Maine ranked second and third in revenues from fisheries, with Virginia ranking third in landings volume and New Bedford for the 13th straight year finishing as the top port as measured by fisheries revenues, outpacing three ports in Alaska and one in Hawaii.
According to the report, Alaska led all states in volume with landings of 5.3 billion pounds, followed by Louisiana, 1.2 billion pounds; Virginia, 461.9 million pounds; Washington, 420.1 million pounds; and California, 358.2 million pounds. Alaska led all states in value of landings with $1.7 billion, followed by Massachusetts, $618.2 million; Maine, $448.5 million; Louisiana, $356.6 million; and Washington $302 million. Maine and Massachusetts produced 94 percent of the total national lobster landings last year.
