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Fish Focus – Learn about what seafood is in season in your area

What is a commercial fisherman?

Commercial fishermen are people that make their living harvesting wild seafood from the ocean, or in some cases, freshwater lakes.

What is America’s fishing tradition?

Commercial fishing is America’s first industry, dating back 400 years or more. The United States of America was “discovered” and populated by Europeans who were roaming the oceans looking in part- for more lucrative fishing grounds. The tradition of commercial fishing in this country has a long and proud heritage, European settlers gathered in communities along coastal waterways to have access to fish resources as well as shipping corridors.

What is the importance to coastal communities?

Commercial fishing can continue to provide the economic, social and environmental backbone of the coastal communities. The $28 billion in dockside seafood sales each year only shows part of the nationwide importance of the commercial fishing industry, as those landings support countless related jobs, from boat builders to bait suppliers, which strengthen the nation’s economy each year.

How many commercial fishermen are there in the US?

The answer is that there is no clear number of how many fishermen we have in the US. Since fishing is a seasonal activity, where fishermen sometime take a 2nd job for part of the year, and fishermen sometimes-especially crew- switch fishing jobs often, it is hard to count how people are commercial fishermen.

What do commercial fishermen look like?

Commercial fishermen look like you. Commercial fishermen are often small business owners who have decided to follow in the family footsteps by fishing. Fishermen and their families want to continue their livelihoods while being able to make a decent living as well as to pass that tradition down to future generations. Our website has pictures of commercial fishermen from all walks of life, doing what they enjoy.

For more information please see:

Plight of the Fisherman

Wild Caught- The Life and Struggle of an American Fishing Town

How do Fishermen catch fish? What techniques do they use?

US fishermen use many techniques and tools. Learn techniques here.

What issues most affect fishermen?

Fishermen face issues common to many Americans. CFA has identified healthcare and waterfront access as its priorities. Read more about these issues and CFA’s role in advocating for fisherman on our Issues page.

How does the commercial fishing industry work?

Each species of fish that is fished for by humans is called a fishery. There are hundreds of fisheries in the United States, all managed by the state or federal authorities.

The fish under jurisdiction of the United States are considered a common property resource. This means that the fish–as a resource–belong to all citizens of the United States. It is the role of commercial fishermen to provide access to the public resource of fish to the citizens of the U.S. Learn more about the commercial fishing industry.

Why is it important to keep commercial fishing industry viable in the US?

Where else are you going to get your wild seafood? Fishermen are the people that provide access to the public resource. Without them, most people would not have the chance to enjoy fresh seafood. The US has some of the strictest fishing regulations of any country in the world. It is important to keep American fishermen fishing so that citizens can continue to enjoy fresh seafood that is caught locally and legally and managed.

If we lose the fishing industry in the US, what will be the alternative? The alternative will be that we import fish from other countries that do not have the same strict regulations and enforcement regarding overfishing. Alternatively, we will depend on large multinational corporations producing fish though ocean aquaculture. Ocean aquaculture actually reduces the number of fish in the sea because of the numbers of fish needed to feed the fish that are eventually sold to the public and create pollution issues. Non-native and genetically modified fish can actually escape and interfere with wild species.

For more information on food safety implications on imported and farmed fish see Import Alert: Government Fails Consumers, Falls Short on Seafood Inspection.

For more information on the dangers associated with open ocean aquaculture see Fishy Farms: The Problems with Open Ocean Aquaculture.

Member Organizations

The CFA has a growing list of member organizations. For more information on joining the CFA, see our Get Involved page.

Full Members

Maryland Watermen’s Association

Port Arthur Area Shrimpers Association

Western Fishboat Owner’s Association

The Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations

The Southern California Trawlers Association

The Alaska Trollers Association

The Crab Boat Owners Association

The Rhode Island Commercial Fishermen’s Association

Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association

Baltimore County Watermen’s Association