FAIRHOPE, Ala. — A new economic report issued this month by the NOAA Fisheries Service indicates U.S. commercial and recreational fishing generated more than $185 billion in sales and supported more than two million jobs in 2006.

The commercial fishing industry (harvesters, seafood processors and dealers, seafood wholesalers and seafood retailers) generated $103 billion in sales, $44 billion in income and supported 1.5 million jobs in 2006, the most recent year included in the report.

Fisheries Economics of the United States 2006, which covers 1997 to 2006, also reveals that recreational fishing generated $82 billion in sales, $24 billion in income, and supported 534,000 jobs in 2006.

“The report documents clearly that managing fisheries sustainably is good for the environment and the economy,” stated Jim Balsiger, NOAA acting assistant administrator for NOAA’s Fisheries Service. “Fishing helps create a substantial number of jobs around the nation.”

In figures broken down for each coastal state, the highest amount of sales generated by the commercial fishing industry were in California ($9.8 billion), Florida ($5.2 billion), Massachusetts ($4.4 billion), Washington ($3.8 billion) and Alaska ($3 billion). The most jobs were generated in California (179,000), Florida (103,000), Massachusetts (83,000), Washington (75,000) and Texas (47,000).

By comparison, Alabama’s commercial fishing industry accounted for sales of $492 million and 11,038 jobs during the same time period.

Recreational fishing generated its highest economic effect in total sales and jobs generated in Florida ($7.6 billion sales, 131,000 jobs); Texas ($2.2 billion sales, 34,000 jobs); California ($1.9 billion sales, 23,000 jobs); North Carolina ($1.2 billion sales, 24,000 jobs); and Louisiana ($1.2 billion sales, 27,000 jobs).

In contrast, Alabama’s recreational fishing industry totaled nearly $326 million in sales, and resulted in 6,572 jobs.

It is not yet clear what impact the recession will have on either industry. NOAA Fisheries is now examining data for 2007, and will issue a report in the spring. Numbers from 2008 will be known late this year, and a trend might emerge.

“This will give us a better idea of how the current economic downturn is affecting commercial and recreational fishing in Alabama and across the nation,” said NOAA Fisheries spokesperson Monica Allen. “An early look at the landings for Alabama show that blue crab and shrimp landings and revenue increased from 2006 to 2007, which is good news economically. However, oyster and red snapper landings and revenue declined in that same period. We will be looking at this information and other information later this year to report on the overall fisheries economy in your state and across the nation.”

The new report includes other descriptive statistics on commercial fish landings, revenue and price trends; recreational fishing effort, catch, participation rates, employer and non-employer establishments, annual payroll and annual receipt information for fishing-related industries such as seafood retailers and ship and boat building.

NOAA will look at data on several marine species to determine how Alabama and other coastal states are faring during these leaner times.

“At this time, we cannot say when we expect these industries to recover from the effects of the economic downturn,” Allen said. “We will be watching this closely over the next year. Another factor in recovery is the status of the stocks and how they are recovering from overfishing or environmental effects.”

Changes in rules governing annual catch limits are set to go into effect in 2010, and a regulated decline in overfishing in federally managed waters could help restore populations of certain species. That would likely boost the fisheries revenue stream along the northern Gulf Coast over the long term.

The 2007 amendments to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act required fishery management plans to establish mechanisms for specifying annual catch limits at such levels that overfishing does not occur. The act also calls for measures to ensure accountability with these limits, and that the limits do not exceed the scientific recommendations made by the regional fishery management councils’ scientific committees.

“The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires that we end overfishing by 2010,” Balsiger stated. “The commercial seafood industry and recreational saltwater fishing provide our nation food, jobs and other incredible benefits that we want to continue for future generations when we end overfishing.”

NOAA’s Fisheries Service, the eight regional fishery management councils and fishing communities themselves have taken significant steps toward ending overfishing and rebuilding stocks in recent years. In 2007, seven fish stocks were removed from the overfishing list. Around 40 stocks are still experiencing overfishing, however.

Annual catch limits are required for U.S. commercial and recreational fisheries subject to overfishing by 2010, and for all other stocks by 2011.

The final guidance outlines a system of catch limits, reference points and targets that can be used for each stock to prevent overfishing. The system accounts for scientific uncertainty in estimating catch limits for a stock, and calls for strong accountability measures to prevent annual catch limits from being exceeded, and to address such a situation quickly if it does occur.

Allen said, “That should have a positive economic effect in coastal communities.”

The new report is the first volume in a series designed to give the public accessible economic information on fishing activities in the U.S., and is a companion to Fisheries of the United States and the forthcoming Fishing Communities of the United States.

The report also provides a snapshot of fishery management plans, limited access privilege fishing programs (a type of catch share program), buyback programs and ecolabeling programs, as well as the status of fish stocks and an inventory of protected marine resources.

Fisheries Economics of the United States 2006 is available online at www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/st5/index.html.