Fisheries Economics of the United States, 2015 Report

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 $208 billion in sales impacts, contributed $97 billion to gross domestic product (GDP), and supported 1.6 million full- and part-time jobs in fishing and across the broader economy.

Saltwater angling generated $63 billion in sales impacts (up 5% from 2014) and contributed $36 billion to GDP (up 2% from 2014) in the marine recreational fishing industry and across the broader economy. Job impacts remained steady from 2014 at 439,000 jobs.

The continued positive impact of U.S. fisheries on the economy, especially between 2011 and 2015, 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.