Alaska, Massachusetts Have Top Fishing Ports
Commercial fishermen unloaded 777.2 million pounds of fish, primarily Alaskan pollock, at the port of Dutch Harbor-Unalaska, Alaska, making it the country's top port for landings in 2007, the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration's Fisheries Service announced on July 17.
The port of New Bedford, Mass., claimed the top spot for value of landings, primarily due to sea scallops, bringing in $268 million in 2007. The total domestic commercial landings for 2007 were 9.2 billion pounds, valued at $4.1 billion.
Dutch Harbor-Unalaska netted the top landings slot for the 19th consecutive year, according to NOAA's Fisheries Service. Reedville, Va., ranked as the number two port for quantity of landings in 2007 with 421.0 million pounds. Empire-Venice, La., was third at 323.1 million. The major fish product landed in both Reedville and Empire-Venice was menhaden.
The new data on the nation's ports is part of Fisheries of the United States 2007, a detailed statistical report on the nation's commercial and recreational fishing, landings, import, export, per capita fish consumption and consumer expenditures for fish products. The report can be read online at http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/st1/index.html.