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NOAA By the Numbers Topics

Fisheries

NOAA Fisheries is responsible for the stewardship of the nation’s ocean resources and their habitat. We provide vital services for the nation: productive and sustainable fisheries, safe sources of seafood, the recovery and conservation of protected resources, and healthy ecosystems—all backed by sound science and an ecosystem-based approach to management. For more information, please visit the NOAA Fisheries Website.

NOAA's Role:

U.S. fisheries are among the world’s largest and most sustainable. NOAA Fisheries is responsible for the stewardship of the nation’s ocean resources and their habitat. NOAA Fisheries has jurisdiction over 165 endangered and threatened marine species (80 endangered; 85 threatened), including 66 foreign species (40 endangered; 26 threatened).

NOAA Fisheries has five regional offices, six science centers, and more than 20 laboratories around the U.S. We work with partners across the nation to monitor, assess and predict the status of fish stocks, and to set catch limits, ensure compliance with fisheries regulations, and reduce bycatch to protect and sustainably manage the nation’s fisheries. Recent accomplishments include:

Why It Matters:

According to the Fisheries Economics of the United States 2023 report:
  • In 2023, U.S. commercial and recreational fisheries combined to generate $319 billion in sales (a 4% decrease from 2022 after adjusting for inflation) and support 2.1 million jobs (a 6% increase from 2022).
  • Nationwide, anglers took approximately 204.1 million saltwater fishing trips around the United States (a 2% increase from 2022).  
  • In 2023, Atlantic croaker and spot (75.6 million fish), seatrout (61.6 million fish), and striped bass (28.8 million fish) were the most frequently caught key species by recreational fishermen in the United States. – National Marine Fisheries Service. 2026. Fisheries Economics of the United States, 2023. NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-F/SPO-254, 30 p. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/s3//2026-02/FEUS-2023-web_0.pdf 
  • Commercial landings, including edible (for human consumption) and industrial (meal, oil, and other non-edile uses) by U.S. fishermen at ports in the 50 states were 8.5 billion pounds or 3.8 metric tons valued at $5.1 billion in 2023. Nationally, the species with the highest landing value were crab ($703 million), lobsters ($699 million), Alaska pollock ($524 million), salmon ($453 million), and scallops ($138 million).
  • The estimated value of the 2023 domestic production of edible and industrial processed fishery products was $12 billion (down 9.8% from 2022).
  • In 2023, the seafood industry produced 2.5 billion pounds of U.S. processed products generating $5.3 billion in revenue.
  • Recreational anglers took 205 million trips in 2023 and caught an estimated 384 million fish. – National Marine Fisheries Service. (2026). Fisheries of the United States, 2023. U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA Current Fishery Statistics No. 2023. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/sustainable-fisheries/fisheries-united-states 

e-Associated Recreation report:

Through strategic policy reform and technological advancements in aquaculture, the global seafood sector can significantly increase sustainable yields and lower prices, providing a critical contribution to the widening global food gap by 2050.

  • By 2050, policy reform and technical advancements could boost edible food from the sea by 21-44 million tons annually. This potential increase—a 36-74% jump over current yields—represents 12-25% of the total estimated increase in meat required to feed a global population of 9.8 billion people. These gains depend on wild fisheries management (transitioning from “open access” to science-based catch limits), mariculture policy reform (e.g., implementing regulations that prevent disease and ecological collapse), feed technology innovations (e.g., reducing reliance on wild caught fish by using proteins derived from terrestrial plants, insects, algae, or seafood processing waste), and an increase in seafood demand. – Lubchenco, J., & Haugan, P. M. (2023). The Future of Food from the Sea. In. Springer International Publishing AG. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-16277-0_1 
  • Projected through 2030, nominal world prices for traded seafood could decline by 24.3% under an optimistic 5% annual aquaculture growth scenario, reaching $2,166 per ton. Global per capita fish consumption is expected to rise across three primary aquaculture growth scenarios (2.4%, 4%, and 5%), potentially reaching 24.78 kg by 2030 in the most optimistic case. For the Americas, per capita consumption is projected to increase from 14.82 kg in 2016 to as high as 17.40 kg by 2030. While world capture fishery production is expected to remain relatively stable at approximately 93 million tons, overall seafood availability will be increasingly dictated by the success of the aquaculture sector. – Bjørndal, T., Dey, M., & Tusvik, A. (2024). Economic analysis of the contributions of aquaculture to future food security. Aquaculture, 578, 740071. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2023.740071  
  • In 2013, marine captured fisheries, amounting to 100 million tons of fish and 81 million tons of invertebrates, provided about 17% of animal protein for human consumption. A growing means of production, aquaculture added 11.7 million tons along with inland fishery adding 44.7 million tons. Much of fishery production depends on weather, which shows a global trend of warming temperatures. Warming temperatures have resulted in greater acidification, a decline in dissolved oxygen, and impacts on salination. Though the impact from the warming trends on fishery output is projected to be less than 10% for most economic zones—with some areas seeing improvements and others facing declines—food security in some of the world’s warmer regions is likely to be affected by the mid-21st century. – Brander, K., Cochrane, K., Barange, M., Soto, D., Phillips, B. F., & Pérez‐Ramírez, M. (2017). Climate Change Implications for Fisheries and Aquaculture. In (pp. 45-62). John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119154051.ch3

Transitioning to rights-based and science-led fishery management can drive a rapid global recovery of fish stocks, potentially generating billions in additional annual profit and millions of tons in increased catch.

  • Implementing extensive fishery reforms worldwide could generate annual increases of $53 billion in profit, 16 million metric tons (MMT) in catch, and 619 MMT in biomass by 2050 compared to business-as-usual. An analysis of 4,713 global fisheries indicates that while the median fishery is currently overfished, sound management can lead to recovery for the vast majority of stocks within a median of 10 years. Rights-based fishery management, which optimizes economic value, is projected to achieve the highest biomass and profit levels by aligning individual incentives with conservation goals. – Costello et al. (2016). Global fishery prospects under contrasting management regimes. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 113(18), 5125-5129. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1520420113 
  • An analysis of nearly half of the global marine fish catch (including the U.S.) found that 3% to 5% of potential biological yield is currently lost due to excess fishing pressure. However, reducing fishing pressure below target levels allowed for 78% of previously overfished stocks to increase in biomass. In regions with intensive management, fish abundance was generally increasing or meeting target levels. In contrast, unmanaged regions had three-fold higher harvest rates and half the fish abundance. – Hilborn et al. (2020). Effective fisheries management instrumental in improving fish stock status. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 117(4), 2218-2224. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1909726116  
  • A study found that 29 U.S. fisheries that transitioned to market-based catch shares (i.e., rights-based fishery management that allocates a portion of the total allowable catch to firms) had an increase in aggregate revenue of $38.3 million (2015$)–approximately 17.9% of pre-program revenue. However, these substantial revenue gains were not universal and depended heavily on the specific biological and market characteristics of the fishery. Species with notable price increases, such as Pacific halibut and Atlantic sea scallop, generally benefited from longer fishing seasons and viable fresh markets. Conversely, price decreases often occurred in multispecies complexes where firms prioritized cost savings or focused effort on more valuable companion species. – Birkenbach, A. M., Kaczan, D. J., Smith, M. D., Ardini, G., Holland, D. S., Lee, M.-Y., Lipton, D., & Travis, M. D. (2023). Do Catch Shares Increase Prices? Evidence from US Fisheries. Marine Resource Economics, 38(3), 203-228. https://doi.org/10.1086/725010

The global seafood trade has undergone a rapid “aquaculture revolution” and globalization, nearly doubling in value and connectivity as farmed production surged to meet rising demand.

  • Between 1994 and 2012, the global seafood trade network grew in value from $71.2 billion to $131.6 billion (2010$), representing a real growth of 84.9%. During this period the volume of seafood traded also grew significantly, increasing by 58.2% from 17.8 million tons to 28.1 million tons. While the number of trading nations remained stable, the number of trade partnerships increased by 65%, signaling a period of rapid globalization and increased connectivity. – Gephart, J. A., & Pace, M. L. (2015). Structure and evolution of the global seafood trade network. ERL, 10(12), 125014. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/10/12/125014 
  • Export volume increased more than fourfold from 1976 (7.9 million tons) to 2016 (36.5 million tons). The total value reached $141 billion per year in 2016. Global seafood supply rose from 68.9 million tons in 1976 to 172.7 million tons in 2017, with aquaculture alone expanding from 5.1% (3.5 million tons) of the total supply in 1970 to 46% (80.1 million tons) by 2017. This “revolution” has made aquaculture the world’s fastest-growing animal-based food sector, while capture fisheries have remained stagnant at 90 to 100 million tons due to the overexploitation of fish stocks. – Asche, F., Roheim, C. A., & Smith, M. D. (2020). Markets, trade, and seafood. In Y. Wang (Ed.), Coastal and Marine Environments (pp. 325-338). Taylor & Francis Group. https://doi.org/10.1201/9780429441004-27 

While strategic harvest management and productivity gains can drive record profitability for domestic fisheries, their economic stability is increasingly tied to a highly integrated global market where competitive imports and shifting trade terms dictate local price dynamics.

  • The U.S. Gulf reef fishery generated over $72 million in ex-vessel revenue in 2022, with red snapper and red grouper leading at $36 million and $14 million, respectively. Key import trading partners in 2022 included Mexico, which exported $26 million in snapper and $14 million in grouper, and Nicaragua and Brazil, which contributed $20 million in snapper and $14 million in grouper, respectively. The fishery was found to be highly integrated with foreign markets for snappers and groupers (i.e., fluctuations in import prices for these fish affect domestic prices in the same direction) making it more vulnerable to price suppression from large increases in import volumes. – Moor, J., Ropicki, A., Agar, J., Lai, J., & Asche, F. (2025). Price Determination of Reef Fish in the Gulf. Marine Resource Economics, 40(4), 213-226. https://doi.org/10.1086/736672 
  • The average scallop revenue per vessel in the northeast scallop fishery increased from $416.14 thousand in 1996 to $1.45 million in 2011, before declining to $936.37 thousand (2009$) in 2015. The average profitability was 6.34 times greater in 2015 compared to 1996. This was driven by a 156.1% increase in total factor productivity (i.e., an increase in the number of scallops produced given what it takes to produce them–fisherman, boats, fuel, etc.) and a 147.6% improvement in terms of trade (i.e., an increase in the price of scallops and a decrease in the cost of production). High profitability was attributable to a harvest strategy that addressed growth overfishing and allowed scallops to mature to sizes that commanded premium prices. – Walden, J. B., Lee, M. Y., & O’Donnell, C. J. (2022). Profits, prices and productivity in a common pool fishery. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 104(4), 1540-1560. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajae.12280
  • Increased aquaculture productivity and improved logistics have lowered unit values, making seafood more competitive; for example, the real prices of salmon and shrimp were less than one-third of their 1992 levels by 2017. While developing countries increased their share of export value to 53% by 2016, developed nations remain the primary importers, accounting for 73% of all imports in 2016, the EU, Japan and the United States being the largest importers. – Asche, F., Roheim, C. A., & Smith, M. D. (2020). Markets, trade, and seafood. In Y. Wang (Ed.), Coastal and Marine Environments (pp. 325-338). Taylor & Francis Group. https://doi.org/10.1201/9780429441004-27