US commercial and recreational saltwater fishing generated more than $185 billion in sales and supported more than two million jobs in 2006, according to a new economic report released by NOAA’s Fisheries Service.
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, the most recent year included in the report, Fisheries Economics of the United States, 2006, which covers 1997 to 2006.
Recreational fishing generated $82 billion in sales, $24 billion in income, and supported 534,000 jobs in 2006.
“The report documents clearly that managing fisheries sustainably is good for the environment and the economy,” said Jim Balsiger, NOAA acting assistant administrator for NOAA's Fisheries Service. “Fishing helps create a substantial number of jobs around the nation.”
