Contact: Gordon Helm FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(301) 713-2370 8/24/95
Commercial fishermen brought 699 billion pounds of fish, worth $224 million, to the port of Dutch Harbor-Unalaska, Alaska, in 1994 -- making it the port with both the highest volume and greatest dollar value of fish in the country, the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced today.
Officials at NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service said the port of Dutch Harbor-Unalaska netted the top landings slot for a seventh straight year. However, landings there dropped more than 94 million pounds over 1993 figures, due to declines in pollock and halibut landings. Meanwhile, the number two and three ports of Empire-Venice and Cameron, La., saw significant growth in 1994 due to increases in the menhaden catch, with total landings of 432 million pounds and 402 million pounds, respectively.
Landings at Dutch Harbor-Unalaska were valued at $224.1 million, a new record for value. Kodiak, Alaska, was second, with landings valued at less than half that of Dutch Harbor, while the New Bedford, Mass., catch value was third in 1994.
The top 10 leading U.S. ports in volume and value of fish and shellfish landed in 1992, 1993 and the latest statistics of 1994 are:
VOLUME
(figures are in millions of pounds)
PORT 1992 1993 1994
Dutch Harbor-Unalaska, Alaska 740.4 793.9 699.6*
Empire-Venice, La. 276.5 335.4 431.7
Cameron, La. 246.3 323.1 401.8
Kodiak, Alaska 290.6 374.2 307.7
Intercoastal City, La. 175.9 202.7 304.8
Morgan City-Berwick, La. 130.8 147.5 243.6
Dulac-Chauvin, La. 66.0 142.4 217.0
Pascagoula-Moss Point, Miss. 177.0 169.7 200.9
Petersburg, Alaska 85.2 110.2 126.3
Newport, Ore. 24.0 89.0 122.2
* Record for quantity is 848.2 million pounds landed in Los
Angeles, Calif., in 1960.
VALUE
(figures are in millions of dollars)
PORT 1992 1993 1994
Dutch Harbor-Unalaska, Alaska 197.9 161.2 224.1**
Kodiak, Alaska 107.0 81.5 107.6
New Bedford, Mass. 151.8 107.5 82.4
Brownsville-Port Isabel, Texas 54.9 46.6 64.1
Naknek-South Naknek, Alaska 4.0 43.5 61.5
Empire-Venice, La. 58.7 52.3 60.1
Dulac-Chauvin, La. 52.8 48.0 55.0
Key West, Fla. 17.4 35.2 53.0
Honolulu, Hawaii 50.5 56.9 44.0
Portland, Maine 43.6 49.1 43.6
** Current record for value.
A complete list of commercial fishery landings and value at 60 major U.S. ports for 1992-1994 is available upon request.