Virginia is home to important commercial and recreational fisheries, according to an annual report from NOAA Fisheries entitled: “Fisheries of the United States 2013.”
Fisheries of the United States 2013 Highlights:
Recreational Fishing
In the USA, approximately 11 million saltwater recreational anglers took over 71 million trips and caught nearly 430 million fish during 2013.
In 2013, nearly 5.8 million residents of Atlantic Coast states participated in marine recreational fishing. All participants, including visitors, took nearly 37 million trips and caught a total of nearly 218 million fish. Almost 7 percent of the trips were made in Virginia.
Commercial Fishing
Virginia was ranked #4 in the USA in terms of commercial landings (381.7 million pounds).
Reedville, Virginia was one of the nation’s top fishing ports. Approximately 318 million pounds of seafood, valued at $30 million, was landed at Reedville during 2013.
source: Fisheries of the United States 2013