October 9, 2012 — Fish catches by United States vessels are running at their highest levels in both volume and value since the mid 1990s, but the country still depends heavily on imports, new figures show.
In 2011 the country's commercial fishermen caught fish and shellfish valued at a record $5.3 billion and over 10 billion pounds in weight , says the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That represents a 23 per cent increase in catch by weight and a 17 per cent increase in value on the figures in 2010.
For despite these encouraging figures In 2011, about 91 per cent of seafood consumed in the US was imported, up five per cent from 2010. However, a portion of this imported seafood is caught by American fishermen, exported overseas for processing and then re-imported to the U.S. The top three imports are shrimp, canned tuna, and tilapia
However, like most parts of the country North America has problems with diminishing stocks in certain areas especially around the New England. The main imports are shrimp and tilapia which mostly comes from South East Asian countries like Vietnam.
The NOAA said that all nine of its fishing regions saw the volume and value of their catches go up in 2011. The numbers nationally were boosted by sharp increases for Gulf of Mexico menhaden, Alaska pollock and Pacific hake, also known as whiting.
The report shows that the Alaska port of Dutch Harbour-Unalaska led the nation with the highest amount of fish landed – primarily pollock – for the 15th consecutive year. For the 12th consecutive year, New Bedford, Mass. had the highest valued catch, due mostly to the sea scallop fishery. However, scallops are a bright spot in New England fishery: despite fishermen staying within catch limits, several key groundfish stocks have declined unexpectedly, leading the Department of Commerce to declare a disaster for groundfish fishermen last month. Similar announcements were made that day for chinook salmon in Alaska’s Yukon and Kuskokwin rivers and Cook Inlet, and for the oyster and blue crab fisheries in Mississippi.
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