May 20, 2021 — Gloucester remains the state’s second-most valuable commercial fishing port by landings despite the decline of its groundfisheries and the challenges facing its aging waterfront and fleet.
A new analysis of the Massachusetts commercial fishery ranked Gloucester second among Bay State commercial ports with $53.2 million — or 8.2% — of the $647 million in state seafood landings in 2018.
For that year, America’s oldest commercial seaport trailed only the scallop-fueled ex vessel dominance of New Bedford ($431 million, or 66.6%), while more than doubling the value of landings from No. 3 Chatham ($19 million).
But the analysis also warns of storm clouds on the horizon for Gloucester and the state’s other commercial fishing ports, particularly related to shrinking access to harbors and deteriorating waterfront infrastructure.