Wild fish catch by gear type in United States
United States: Wild fish catch by gear type was 791,936 tonnes in 2018. ▲ Rising
Latest (2018)
791,936 tonnes
Change on year
down 12.5%
World rank
7th
of 111 countries
All-time high
1.82 million tonnes
in 1988
All-time low
343,681 tonnes
in 1975
Years of data
69
1950–2018
Wild fish catch by gear type in United States, 1950–2018
Source: Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
United States recorded 791,936 tonnes for wild fish catch by gear type in 2018.
The figure is down 12.5% on the previous year and up 37.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wild fish catch by gear type in United States peaked at 1.82 million tonnes in 1988 and was at its lowest, 343,681 tonnes, in 1975.
United States ranks 7th of 111 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 69 years of available data.
Wild fish catch by gear type in United States, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 550,380 tonnes | — |
| 1951 | 604,803 tonnes | +9.9% |
| 1952 | 589,170 tonnes | -2.6% |
| 1953 | 548,497 tonnes | -6.9% |
| 1954 | 627,850 tonnes | +14.5% |
| 1955 | 619,503 tonnes | -1.3% |
| 1956 | 629,811 tonnes | +1.7% |
| 1957 | 642,486 tonnes | +2.0% |
| 1958 | 646,650 tonnes | +0.6% |
| 1959 | 643,822 tonnes | -0.4% |
| 1960 | 599,649 tonnes | -6.9% |
| 1961 | 561,330 tonnes | -6.4% |
| 1962 | 625,570 tonnes | +11.4% |
| 1963 | 631,580 tonnes | +1.0% |
| 1964 | 518,363 tonnes | -17.9% |
| 1965 | 513,728 tonnes | -0.9% |
| 1966 | 610,128 tonnes | +18.8% |
| 1967 | 440,850 tonnes | -27.7% |
| 1968 | 410,603 tonnes | -6.9% |
| 1969 | 371,650 tonnes | -9.5% |
| 1970 | 520,058 tonnes | +39.9% |
| 1971 | 467,096 tonnes | -10.2% |
| 1972 | 396,761 tonnes | -15.1% |
| 1973 | 490,850 tonnes | +23.7% |
| 1974 | 531,537 tonnes | +8.3% |
| 1975 | 343,681 tonnes | -35.3% |
| 1976 | 384,236 tonnes | +11.8% |
| 1977 | 381,075 tonnes | -0.8% |
| 1978 | 376,650 tonnes | -1.2% |
| 1979 | 421,435 tonnes | +11.9% |
| 1980 | 442,866 tonnes | +5.1% |
| 1981 | 522,101 tonnes | +17.9% |
| 1982 | 662,475 tonnes | +26.9% |
| 1983 | 788,725 tonnes | +19.1% |
| 1984 | 921,387 tonnes | +16.8% |
| 1985 | 1.12 million tonnes | +21.7% |
| 1986 | 1.33 million tonnes | +18.8% |
| 1987 | 1.58 million tonnes | +18.5% |
| 1988 | 1.82 million tonnes | +15.1% |
| 1989 | 1.61 million tonnes | -11.4% |
| 1990 | 1.52 million tonnes | -5.3% |
| 1991 | 1.46 million tonnes | -4.4% |
| 1992 | 1.62 million tonnes | +11.4% |
| 1993 | 1.43 million tonnes | -12.0% |
| 1994 | 1.34 million tonnes | -6.3% |
| 1995 | 1.21 million tonnes | -10.0% |
| 1996 | 1.21 million tonnes | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 1.18 million tonnes | -2.6% |
| 1998 | 1.04 million tonnes | -11.7% |
| 1999 | 819,206 tonnes | -21.4% |
| 2000 | 799,538 tonnes | -2.4% |
| 2001 | 708,225 tonnes | -11.4% |
| 2002 | 675,769 tonnes | -4.6% |
| 2003 | 618,337 tonnes | -8.5% |
| 2004 | 730,298 tonnes | +18.1% |
| 2005 | 576,846 tonnes | -21.0% |
| 2006 | 530,294 tonnes | -8.1% |
| 2007 | 537,541 tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 574,384 tonnes | +6.9% |
| 2009 | 547,377 tonnes | -4.7% |
| 2010 | 604,476 tonnes | +10.4% |
| 2011 | 689,673 tonnes | +14.1% |
| 2012 | 631,027 tonnes | -8.5% |
| 2013 | 616,056 tonnes | -2.4% |
| 2014 | 643,137 tonnes | +4.4% |
| 2015 | 623,670 tonnes | -3.0% |
| 2016 | 667,707 tonnes | +7.1% |
| 2017 | 904,831 tonnes | +35.5% |
| 2018 | 791,936 tonnes | -12.5% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 791,936 tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 47,385 tonnes, 16.7× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 610,297 tonnes | 548,497 tonnes | 646,650 tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 528,345 tonnes | 371,650 tonnes | 631,580 tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 431,338 tonnes | 343,681 tonnes | 531,537 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.08 million tonnes | 442,866 tonnes | 1.82 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.28 million tonnes | 819,206 tonnes | 1.62 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 629,861 tonnes | 530,294 tonnes | 799,538 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 685,835 tonnes | 604,476 tonnes | 904,831 tonnes | 9 |
Countries ranked near United States
More agriculture & rural data for United States
- 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)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1981 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 0.9% (2021)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 0.9% (2021)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wild fish catch by gear type in United States?
- Wild fish catch by gear type in United States was 791,936 tonnes in 2018, according to Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest wild fish catch by gear type recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 1.82 million tonnes in 1988.
- What is the lowest wild fish catch by gear type recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 343,681 tonnes in 1975.
- How does United States rank for wild fish catch by gear type?
- United States ranks 7th out of 111 countries with data for 2018.
- Is wild fish catch by gear type rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 37.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Wild fish catch by gear type. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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