To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, I summarized the socioeconomic characteristics of the Mississippi and Alabama (MS-AL) commercial fishing industry during the past 50 years. This blog post is a short version of the YouTube presentation posted at https://youtu.be/NCKeDEE9oQk.
MS-AL most caught commercial species (in pounds)
Menhaden was the most commercial fish species caught in 1990 (270.1M), 2000 (191.8M) and 2020 (296.6M). It was followed by white shrimp (15.0M), brown shrimp (14.4M) and pink shrimp (1.6 M) in 2020. Then, it was followed by brown shrimp (27.7M), jawed vertebrates (6.3M) and white shrimp (5.8M) in 2000 and by brown shrimp (25.0M) and white shrimp (4.0M) and blue crabs in 1990.
MS-AL most valued commercial species (in dollars)
Menhaden ($38.5M) was the most valued species in 2020. It was followed by white shrimp ($38.4M), brown shrimp ($29.3M) and pink shrimp ($3.2M). Eastern oysters ($2M) were next, and red snapper ($1.8M) followed. In 2000, the most highly valued commercial species was brown shrimp ($73.3M). It was followed by white shrimp ($18.2M), menhaden ($18.0M), Eastern oysters ($7.8M), blue crabs ($3.7M) and pink shrimp ($2.1M). Brown shrimp ($43.2M) was the most valued species in 1990. Then, menhaden ($11.6M), white shrimp ($11.6M), striped mullet ($2.7M), blue crab ($1.4M) and pink shrimp ($1.4M).
Imputed U.S. dockside prices of eastern oysters, 1972 and 2021
The 2021 eastern oyster price ($9.35/lb) is more than 14 times the 1972 dockside price ($0.66/lb). Imputed prices are in dollars per pound of meat since NOAA values are reported in dollars and pounds. However, oysters are not sold by the pound of meat at the dockside. Wild oysters are sold in sacks or bushels and not in pounds.
Imputed U.S. dockside prices of red snapper, 1972 and 2021
The 2021 red snapper price ($4.29/lb) is more than seven times the 1972 dockside price ($0.55/lb).
Imputed U.S. dockside prices of northern white shrimp, 1971 and 2021
The 2021 white shrimp price ($2.41/lb) is less than four times the 1971 dockside price ($0.65/lb).
Imputed U.S. dockside prices of northern brown shrimp, 1971 and 2021
The 2021 brown shrimp price ($2.34/lb) is more than four times the 1971 dockside price ($0.58)/lb).
Gross regional product of MS-AL commercial fishing
The gross regional product (GRP) measures the final market value of all goods and services produced in the study region. GRP is the sum of total industry earnings, taxes on production and imports, and profits, less subsidies. The GRP of commercial fishing peaked in 2021 at $143 million.
MS-AL fishing jobs and incomes
The industry directly provided more than 3,100 jobs in Mississippi and Alabama in 2021. Fishing incomes consist of wages, salaries and earnings of fishers and owners of fishing businesses. The combined wages, salaries and proprietor earnings of all the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) employees, non-QCEW employees, self-employed and extended proprietors averaged almost $28,000 per person in 2021.
MS-AL commercial fishermen by age
In 2021, 18.6 percent of the fishers and owners are 65 years old and above. The 55- to 64-year-old fishers and owners comprised 16.7 percent of the total. The 45- to 54-year-old group added 15.5 percent of the total.
MS-AL commercial fishermen by gender
A recent fishing industrial overview showed that 96.6 percent were males. About 3.4 percent of the fishers and boat owners were females.
MS-AL commercial fishermen by race or ethnicity
The majority of fishermen in Alabama and Mississippi are white (84.1 percent), followed by African-American (3.6 percent), American Indian (3.5 percent), Asian (3.4 percent) and two or more races (3.4 percent). The rest are Hispanic or Latino (1.9 percent), Native Hawaiians or Pacific Islanders (0.1 percent).