Landings of tuna by U.S. fishermen at ports in the United States, American Samoa, other U.S. territories and foreign ports last year totaled 474.5 million pounds (215,230 metric tons – MT), representing a decrease of more than 129 million pounds (58,513 MT) or 21 percent compared to 2015, according to NOAA Fisheries’ new Fisheries of the United States 2016 report.
Despite the volume decline, the overall catch value increased by USD 12.5 million (EUR 10.7 million) or 3 percent to USD 432.8 million (EUR 370.5 million). The average ex-vessel price of all tuna species in 2016 was USD 0.91 (EUR 0.78) per pound, up from USD 0.70 (EUR 0.60) in 2015.
In terms of species, there were reductions in the bigeye, skipjack and yellowfin landings, but the bluefin catch increased significantly compared with 2015.
Bigeye landings totaled 3.8 million pounds (1,724 MT), a decrease of almost 2.1 million pounds (953 MT) or 8 percent compared with 2015. The average ex-vessel price per pound was USD 3.44 (EUR 2.95), compared to USD 3.17 (EUR 2.72) in 2015.
Landings of skipjack reached 377.3 million pounds (171,140 MT), a decrease of 121.4 million pounds (55,066 MT) or 24 percent compared with 2015. The average ex-vessel price was USD 0.66 (EUR 0.57) per pound, compared to USD 0.51 (EUR 0.44) in the previous year.
Yellowfin landings were 45.4 million pounds (20,593 MT), a decrease of 4.2 million pounds (1,905 MT) or 9 percent, with an average ex-vessel price of USD 1.06 (EUR 0.91) per pound, up from USD 0.82 (EUR 0.70) in 2015.
U.S. bluefin landings, meanwhile, reached almost 2.7 million pounds (1,225 MT), an increase of 781,000 pounds (354 MT) or 41 percent compared with 2015. The average ex-vessel price per pound in 2016 was USD 5.26 (EUR 4.51), compared to USD 4.67 (EUR 4) in the previous year.
