Dutch Harbor-Unalaska in Alaska Top U.S. Port for Landings in 2003

Commercial fishermen unloaded 900.7 million pounds of fish and shellfish at the port of Dutch Harbor-Unalaska, Alaska, making it the top port in the United States for landings in 2003, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In an announcement today, NOAA also said that the port of New Bedford, Mass., claimed the top spot for highest value of landings with $176.2 million for 2003. NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Dutch Harbor-Unalaska netted the top landings slot for the15th consecutive year, according to NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service, although the total fish and shellfish landings had decreased 7.4 million pounds from the record 2002 level.

Empire-Venice, La., ranked as the number two port for quantity of landings in 2003 with 400.0 million pounds. Reedville, Va., was third at 375.3 million pounds.

The 2003 dollar value of landings at New Bedford was up $7.6 million from 2002, mostly attributable to the value of sea scallops brought in and an increase in landings of herring, mackerel, silver hake, skates and ocean quahog. This was the fourth year in a row that the dollar value of landings at New Bedford increased.

Number two for value of landings for 2003 was Dutch Harbor-Unalaska at $139.7 million—an increase of $3.6 million over 2002. Dutch Harbor-Unalaska’s landings value increased mainly due to improved groundfish catch from the Bearing Sea/Aleutian Islands and the Gulf of Alaska.

The Hampton Roads Area, Va., landings value was third at $79.6 million in 2003, an increase of $10.1 million over 2002 due to an increased number of sea scallops being landed at that port.

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The top 10 leading U.S. ports in volume and value of fish and shellfish landed in 2002 and 2003 are listed below.

COMMERCIAL FISHERY LANDINGS AT MAJOR U.S. PORTS, 2003
Figures in Millions Pounds

PORT	Quantity
	2002	2003
Dutch Harbor-Unalaska, Alaska	908.1	900.7
Empire-Venice, La.	398.9	400.0
Reedville, Va.	367.4	375.3
Intracostal City, La.	358.5	325.2
Cameron, La.	349.9	259.0
Kodiak, Alaska	250.4	254.0
Pascagoula—Moss Point, Miss.	198.5	192.0
New Bedford, Mass.	108.7	155.4
Astoria, Ore.	106.9	114.1
Ketchikan, Alaska	73.2	93.7

COMMERCIAL FISHERY VALUES AT MAJOR U.S. PORTS, 2002-2003
Figures in Million Dollars
	2002	2003
New Bedford, Mass.	168.6	176.2
Dutch Harbor-Unalaska, Alaska	136.1	139.7
Hampton Roads, Va.	69.5	79.6
Kodiak, Alaska	63.3	62.2
Empire-Venice, La.	54.3	50.8
Ketchikan, Alaska	12.8	48.7
Cape May-Wildwood, N.J.	35.3	42.8
Westport, Mass.	24.4	42.6
Dulac-Chauvin, La.	46.2	42.3
Honolulu, Hawaii	39.9	41.0

Note: To avoid disclosure of private enterprise certain ports have not been included. A complete list of commercial fishery landings and value at 50 major U.S. ports for 2002 - 2003 is available on the Web at http://www.st.nmfs.gov/st1/publications.html.