When thinking of fishing, the first thing that usually comes to mind is being on a boat, casting a line, and enjoying a beautiful summer day. But when we look deeper into fishing as an industry, we can really understand its importance and economic impact. The fishing industry greatly impacts coastal towns and cities, but the industry’s impact reaches far beyond the towns in which major fish piers reside. Let’s take a look at the impacts of the fish industry, and its effects on the U.S. economy.
Many people who love to eat fish don’t realize or recognize the process that brings your seafood from sea to plate. Commercial fishing includes seafood wholesalers, processors, and retailers. These are the middlemen between catching the fish, cleaning, processing, and safely distributing. This contributes billions of dollars annually to the U.S. economy.
The industry provides jobs for people living in areas where fishing is possible. Many fisherman even travel to main fish piers to work on day boats, or go out on trips that last weeks. They get paid well for their hard labor, as the job is not an easy one. Commercial fishing requires patience, a lot of physical effort, and concentration, especially when shucking shellfish and using heavy equipment on board.
Recreational fishing employs both fisherman and manufacturers of fishing equipment. This is a major industry in the U.S. for sport, for leisure, and for work. It is estimated that the U.S. fishing industry contributes $90 billion annually to our economy, and supports over one and a half million jobs.
Management of the fishing industry is important, as fish are a natural resource to our Earth. We don’t want the fish population to become depleted, so management is needed for sustainability. When we meet the management levels necessary, we can expect to see improved economic activity and growth. Fish stocking can drive up sales by billions of dollars, thus creating new jobs and improving the quality of fish for consumers.
Taking care of our environment is important, and if we want to continue to benefit from the ocean as we currently do in so many ways, we must continue to regulate and manage the industry with licenses and quotas. Working with the ocean is a beautiful thing, and we want to sustain this relationship with the seas.
For over 65 years, the Zaffiro family of Channel Fish Processing (CFP) has provided the freshest, highest quality North Atlantic fish to wholesalers everywhere. Over the years, Channel has grown and developed from a processor of Cod and Haddock into a family run company that conducts business globally and provides a wide variety of fresh and frozen products. Want to learn more about us? Visit our website at www.channelfish.com and reach out to our staff today.
