Fish landings and discards in United States
United States: Fish landings and discards was 674,076 in 2018. ▼ Falling
Latest (2018)
674,076
Change on year
down 9.9%
World rank
2nd
of 161 countries
All-time high
1.42 million
in 1991
All-time low
674,076
in 2018
Years of data
69
1950–2018
Fish landings and discards in United States, 1950–2018
Source: Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2018, fish landings and discards in United States stood at 674,076. That is the lowest value across all 69 years on record.
That represents a change of down 9.9% on the previous year and down 7.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fish landings and discards in United States peaked at 1.42 million in 1991 and was at its lowest, 674,076, in 2018.
United States ranks 2nd of 161 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 69 years of available data.
Fish landings and discards in United States, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 828,842 | — |
| 1951 | 971,686 | +17.2% |
| 1952 | 980,952 | +1.0% |
| 1953 | 1.09 million | +10.7% |
| 1954 | 1.09 million | +0.2% |
| 1955 | 1.02 million | -6.6% |
| 1956 | 935,899 | -8.0% |
| 1957 | 881,343 | -5.8% |
| 1958 | 861,403 | -2.3% |
| 1959 | 946,881 | +9.9% |
| 1960 | 1.01 million | +6.9% |
| 1961 | 765,838 | -24.3% |
| 1962 | 780,826 | +2.0% |
| 1963 | 909,054 | +16.4% |
| 1964 | 822,589 | -9.5% |
| 1965 | 892,228 | +8.5% |
| 1966 | 809,862 | -9.2% |
| 1967 | 907,212 | +12.0% |
| 1968 | 842,640 | -7.1% |
| 1969 | 801,147 | -4.9% |
| 1970 | 867,548 | +8.3% |
| 1971 | 861,035 | -0.8% |
| 1972 | 843,322 | -2.1% |
| 1973 | 732,426 | -13.1% |
| 1974 | 740,858 | +1.2% |
| 1975 | 699,338 | -5.6% |
| 1976 | 850,911 | +21.7% |
| 1977 | 1.01 million | +18.6% |
| 1978 | 969,473 | -4.0% |
| 1979 | 927,659 | -4.3% |
| 1980 | 950,701 | +2.5% |
| 1981 | 833,524 | -12.3% |
| 1982 | 998,645 | +19.8% |
| 1983 | 885,871 | -11.3% |
| 1984 | 1.08 million | +22.2% |
| 1985 | 1.01 million | -6.4% |
| 1986 | 960,126 | -5.2% |
| 1987 | 1.24 million | +29.5% |
| 1988 | 1.10 million | -11.8% |
| 1989 | 1.22 million | +11.7% |
| 1990 | 1.19 million | -2.8% |
| 1991 | 1.42 million | +19.7% |
| 1992 | 1.29 million | -9.6% |
| 1993 | 1.16 million | -9.7% |
| 1994 | 1.09 million | -6.5% |
| 1995 | 1.13 million | +3.7% |
| 1996 | 1.07 million | -4.7% |
| 1997 | 1.17 million | +9.3% |
| 1998 | 936,950 | -20.2% |
| 1999 | 889,034 | -5.1% |
| 2000 | 963,268 | +8.3% |
| 2001 | 897,860 | -6.8% |
| 2002 | 932,771 | +3.9% |
| 2003 | 946,728 | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 1.00 million | +6.0% |
| 2005 | 805,515 | -19.8% |
| 2006 | 890,747 | +10.6% |
| 2007 | 797,479 | -10.5% |
| 2008 | 725,877 | -9.0% |
| 2009 | 840,395 | +15.8% |
| 2010 | 798,361 | -5.0% |
| 2011 | 867,632 | +8.7% |
| 2012 | 789,999 | -8.9% |
| 2013 | 703,691 | -10.9% |
| 2014 | 706,750 | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 713,884 | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 706,857 | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 748,104 | +5.8% |
| 2018 | 674,076 | -9.9% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 674,076 is above the median for high income countries, which is 8,028, 84.0× the median. (61 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 959,818 | 828,842 | 1.09 million | 10 |
| 1960s | 854,360 | 765,838 | 1.01 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 850,208 | 699,338 | 1.01 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.03 million | 833,524 | 1.24 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.14 million | 889,034 | 1.42 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 880,460 | 725,877 | 1.00 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 745,484 | 674,076 | 867,632 | 9 |
Countries ranked near United States
More agriculture & rural data for United States
- Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per capita 0.4694 hectares per person (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per capita 1.22 hectares per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 11.96 % change on previous year (2021)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0094 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2021)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 673.66 current US$ per person (2021)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.1831 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fish landings and discards in United States?
- Fish landings and discards in United States was 674,076 in 2018, according to Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fish landings and discards recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 1.42 million in 1991.
- What is the lowest fish landings and discards recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 674,076 in 2018.
- How does United States rank for fish landings and discards?
- United States ranks 2nd out of 161 countries with data for 2018.
- Is fish landings and discards rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Fish landings and discards. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 69 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
– Landings represent aquatic animals that are caught and brought ashore for use. – Discards are animals thrown back (alive or dead) into the sea after being caught during fishing activities.