Retailers paid $9.6B for processed fisheries products: NOAA

The domestic commercial seafood industry brought in $5.3 billion worth of product in 2016, a 2.1% increase from the year prior, according to the recently released NOAA Fisheries of the United States report.

The rise occurred despite a 1.5% dip from 2015’s volume benchmark, with 9.6 billion pounds being caught in 2016.

Retailers and wholesalers purchased that haul for $9.55 billion, with $8.76 billion going toward edible products, or 92% of the overall haul.

More than 77% percent of the harvest headed to the kitchen table with 75% hitting shelves as fresh or frozen human food options. Two percent was used for canned human food and less than 1% was used for cured selections.

About 4% percent headed to animal food stuffs, and 19% was used for fish meal and oil that was predominately added to animal feed.

Frozen led the charge with $6.09 billion worth of product—64% of the overall harvest—ahead of fresh’s $1.53 billion.

The year’s harvest included a 176% year-over-year increase in Atlantic squid volume with 56.4 million pounds. Dungeness crab rose 168% to 64.2 million pounds and Pacific hake hauled in 558 million pounds, a climb of 67%.

Snow crab, pink salmon and Pacific sardines saw a decrease in poundage at rates of 49%, 79% and 87% respectively.

Dutch Harbor, Alaska, brought in the highest volume for the 20th consecutive year, accounting for 770 million pounds. It came in second in terms of value, registering $198 million. New Bedford, Mass., produced the highest value for the 17th consecutive year, spreading $327 million across 107 million pounds of seafood.

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