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Fisheries Economics of the United States, 2016 Report

December 12, 2018

Fisheries Economics of the United States (FEUS) is an annual report that provides economic statistics on the nation’s commercial fishing and seafood industry, recreational fisheries, and marine-related businesses.

Commercial and recreational fishing are big business, culturally important, and support a significant number of jobs. At the national level, U.S. commercial fishing and seafood industry and recreational fishing generated $212 billion in sales impacts, contributed $100 billion to gross domestic product (GDP), and supported 1.7 million full- and part-time jobs in fishing and across the broader economy.

Saltwater angling generated $73 billion in sales impacts and contributed $41 billion to GDP in the marine recreational fishing industry and across the broader economy in 2016. In terms of job impacts, 486,000 full-time and part-time jobs were supported directly or indirectly by the purchases made by marine recreational anglers.

The continued positive impact of U.S. fisheries on the economy, especially between 2012 and 2016, reflects the collective progress that NOAA Fisheries, the regional fishery management councils, and our stakeholders are making as we work to fully rebuild our nation’s fish stocks and ensure the long-term economic stability of our fisheries and our fishing and seafood communities.

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Fisheries Economics of the United States, published each fall, provides a detailed look at the economic performance of commercial and recreational fisheries and other marine-related sectors on a state, regional and national basis. The economic impact of commercial and recreational fishing activities in the U.S. is also reported in terms of employment, sales and value-added impacts. The report provides management highlights for each region that include a summary of stock status, updates on catch share programs, and other selected management issues. Economic performance indicators for catch share programs are reported and will be extended to include non-catch share fisheries in the next edition.

Last updated by Office of Science and Technology on 06/02/2023