
New Bedford Fishermen Don’t Catch America’s Favorite Seafood
The Port of New Bedford was still America's top commercial fishing port by value as recently as 2022.
SouthCoastToday.com reported in October 2024, "New Bedford landed $443.2 million worth of seafood in 2022, again placing it at the top of NOAA Fisheries list." The site said, "Scallop landings accounted for 84% of the value."
The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries reported that in 2021, scallop landings statewide were more than 348 million pounds, valued at almost $400 million.
Other large hauls included ocean quahog, Atlantic surf clam, haddock, American lobster, Northern shortfin squid and monkfish.

New Bedford and Massachusetts fishermen put a lot of delicious seafood on dinner plates from coast to coast, but America's favorite seafood dish is shrimp – something the local fishing fleet doesn't catch.
"Sea clams, scallops, monkfish, lobster, cod, and oysters are really our bread and butter," City Councilor Ian Abreu said.
Ocean Box Home Delivery says, "Americans consume about 4.5 billion pounds of seafood each year."
"Shrimp is the most popular seafood, with people consuming an average of almost one pound per person yearly," according to the site.
Ocean Box says the second most preferred seafood dish is salmon, followed by tuna, tilapia, pollock, pangasius or basa, cod, catfish, crab and clams.
The Division of Marine Fisheries says, "New Bedford's consistently high landings value is being driven by the high-value sea scallop landings."
"Massachusetts ranks second in the country in lobster landings, behind Maine," it says.
NOAA Fisheries says Atlantic Northern Shrimp, found in the western North Atlantic from Massachusetts to Maine, are overfished and fishing for the species in the United States is prohibited.
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Gallery Credit: Tim Weisberg
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