South Louisiana ports rank among country's top producing ports

The Empire/Venice, Cameron and Intercoastal City areas ranked among the country's top five ports in commercial fish landings with a combined total of nearly 1 billion pounds in 2001. According to totals recently released by the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), commercial fish landings in Empire/Venice totaled 370.7 million pounds, while 324.1 million pounds came into Cameron. Another 303.6 million pounds were unloaded in the port of Intercoastal City.

The city Pascagoula, Miss. ranked eighth in the country with 196 million pounds.

In addition, three south Louisiana areas ranked in the top 10 in commercial landing values in 2001. The Dulac-Chauvin areas ranked fourth in the country with a commercial catch worth $60.9 million. Empire/Venice's 370.7 million pounds was valued at $59.1 million and a fourth place ranking. The coastal hamlet of Bayou LaBatre came in at 10th with a commercial landing value of $38.9 million.

Commercial fishermen brought 834.5 million pounds of fish to the port of Dutch Harbor-Unalaska, Alaska, in 2001, making it the port with the highest volume of fish landings in the country. New Bedford, Mass., claimed the top spot in the country for landing value at its port with $150.5 million. The Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced the figures today.

The port of Dutch Harbor-Unalaska netted the top landings slot for the 13th continuous year according to NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service. The port recorded an increase of 134.7 million pounds over 2000 landings. Reedville, Va., was ranked as the number two port for the quantity of landings in 2001 with 488 million pounds landed.

The value of landings at New Bedford was $150.5 million, an increase of $4.2 million from the 2000 value. Dutch Harbor-Unalaska was second with landings valued at $129.4 million - an increase of $4.5 million. The Kodiak, Alaska, catch value was third at $74.4 million in 2000.

The continuing increase in value of New Bedford landings for the second year was due to sea scallops holding steady ($81.9 million in 2001 compared with $83 million in 2000) and an increase in landings of Atlantic cod, yellowtail and winter flounder due to improving groundfish stocks. New Bedford returned to the top value port last year, after a nine year absence that was in part caused by widespread depletion of the New England groundfish fishery and declining numbers of sea scallops.

The large-landings value increase in 2001 at Dutch Harbor-Unalaska came from increased groundfish catch from the Bearing Sea/Aleutian Islands and the Gulf of Alaska.

The record landings for quantity was 848.2 million pounds in Los Angeles, Calif., in 1960 and the record for value was $224.1 million in Dutch Harbor-Unalaska in 1994.

The top 10 leading U.S. ports in volume and value of fish and shellfish landed in 2000 and 2001 are:

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 2000 - 2001 is available on the internet at http://www.st.nmfs.gov/st1/publications.html.

NOAA Fisheries is dedicated to protecting and preserving our nation's living marine resources through scientific research, management, enforcement, and the conservation of marine mammals and other protected marine species and their habitat.

To learn more about NOAA Fisheries, please visit http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov.