The striped bass was the most popular recreational saltwater fish in 2014, according to NOAA Fisheries’ annual report, Fisheries of the United States 2014.
Recreational anglers caught 24 million pounds of striped bass in 2014, making it their top catch.
U.S. Recreational Fishing Facts
Striped bass, bluefish, yellowfin tuna, dolphin fish, and summer flounder were the top five recreational species ranked by pounds landed.
Approximately 10.4 million anglers took 68 million trips and caught nearly 392 million fish in 2014.
Anglers released more than 60 percent of fish caught. An estimated 157 million fish were kept, weighing 186 million pounds.
Saltwater recreational fishing is one of the most popular outdoor sports in the USA.
Top 20 Saltwater Species:
(2014 recreational fishing catches, ranked by pounds landed)
1 Striped Bass
2 Bluefish
3 Yellowfin Tuna
4 Dolphinfish
5 Summer Flounder
6 Red Drum
7 Spotted Seatrout
8 King Mackerel
9 Scup
10 Sheepshead
11 Tautog
12 Black Sea Bass
13 Atlantic Croaker
14 Red Snapper
15 Spanish Mackerel
16 Mullets
17 Blue Runner
18 Spot
19 Catfish
20 Gray Snapper
The Fisheries of the United States 2014 report is available at http://st.nmfs.noaa.gov/commercial-fisheries/fus/fus14/index.
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