Landings of commercial seafood dropped last year in North Carolina, as a larger finfish catch couldn't make up for declines in shrimp and crab, according to a state report released today.
Commercial fishermen landed 68.6 million pounds in 2009, about 4 percent less than the year before, according to the state Division of Marine Fisheries. The value of the commercial catch dropped 11 percent, to $77 million.
The most notable decline was in the shrimp harvest, down 43 percent to 5.4 million pounds. State officials say weather, market conditions and the price of gasoline were all factors in reducing shrimp landings.
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