WASHINGTON: The total value of US landings fell by 1.3% in 2014 relative to 2013 fueled substantially by declines in salmon, scallop and menhaden values even as the sector’s employment rose.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Fisheries Economics of the United States 2014 report, total landings revenue for domestic fisheries fell from $5.54 billion in 2013 to $5.47bn in 2014. Nearly 44% of 2014’s revenue came from the finfish and other categories — the rest coming from shellfish — down from 47% of 2013’s revenue.
The drops were steepest in the Pacific salmon, 18.5%, menhaden 19.2%, and scallops categories, 9%.
However, lobster revenues continued to rise with a 22.5% revenue boost, driven on higher landings and strong pricing.
