| NOAA
Fisheries Service recently released an economic report on
the impacts of commercial and recreational saltwater fishing
in the U.S., titled Fisheries Economics of the United States,
2006, which covers 1997 to 2006. Results of the study indicate
that commercial and recreational saltwater fishing nationwide
generate more than $185 billion in sales and supported more
than two million jobs in 2006.
The commercial
fishing industry — harvesters, seafood processors
and dealers, seafood wholesalers and seafood retailers — generated $103 billion in sales, $44 billion in income and
supported 1.5 million jobs in 2006. Recreational fishing
generated $82 billion in sales, $24 billion in income and
supported 534,000 jobs in 2006. The report documents the
importance of coastal fishing in the U.S. and the importance
of managing fisheries resources at sustainable levels.
The report gives
detailed landings, prices and recreational fishing economic
impacts by regions, by states and by specific species. This
will be an excellent resource for planning and resource
management.
Some of the more
glaring statistics include the increase in Louisiana’s
recreational harvest of spotted seatrout. In 1997, Louisiana
anglers harvested 6.7 million spotted seatrout while in
2006, more than 24 million were caught (13 million of which
were harvested and more than 10 million released). Another
set of numbers which stood out was the number of charter
trips taken in Louisiana. In 1997, there were76,000 charter
trips while in 2006 more than 176,000 were taken.
In the Gulf of
Mexico region, the recreational catch of spotted seatrout
is the most caught species with more 36 million fish caught
in 2006. Louisiana accounted for 24 million of these fish
or 66 percent. Also, the number of anglers in Louisiana
increased by 63 percent between 1997 (616,000) and 2006
(1.2 million anglers). Certainly this is an indication of
the economic importance of the spotted seatrout to Louisiana.
In 2006, Louisiana
anglers’ total trip expenditures and durable equipment
expenditures topped $2.8 billion. In 2006, the commercial
fishing industry in Louisiana accounted for $2.1 billion
to the economy of the state.
The
report also includes descriptive statistics on commercial
fish landings, revenue and price trends; recreational fishing
effort, catch and participation rates; and employer and
non-employer establishments, annual payroll and annual receipt
information for fishing-related industries such as seafood
retailers and ship and boat building. The entire report
can be viewed online at www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/st5/index.html.
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