The United States boasts one of the world’s most diverse and productive fishing industries, with top catches including Alaska pollock, menhaden, salmon, Pacific cod, and American lobster. Alaska pollock, primarily harvested in the Bering Sea, leads as the nation’s most significant commercial fishery by volume, while menhaden, caught along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, are vital for fish oil and meal. The U.S. fishing industry has deep historical roots, dating back to Native American subsistence fishing and expanding with European colonization, particularly in New England’s cod and herring fisheries. Today, the industry is a blend of wild-capture and aquaculture, highly regulated to ensure sustainability, and supports coastal economies from Alaska to the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic seaboard.
| Rank | Fish Species | Metric Tons |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska pollock(=Walleye poll.) | 1,226,524 |
| 2 | American alligator | 534,813 |
| 3 | Gulf menhaden | 477,980 |
| 4 | North Pacific hake | 261,708 |
| 5 | Pacific cod | 182,799 |
| 6 | Atlantic menhaden | 177,267 |
| 7 | Sockeye(=Red) salmon | 173,840 |
| 8 | Yellowfin sole | 151,495 |
| 9 | Atlantic surf clam | 125,101 |
| 10 | American sea scallop | 120,058 |
| 11 | Ocean quahog | 113,144 |
| 12 | Pink(=Humpback) salmon | 98,090 |
| 13 | Skipjack tuna | 93,836 |
| 14 | Opalescent inshore squid | 66,549 |
| 15 | Pacific ocean perch | 62,445 |
| 16 | Marine fishes nei | 60,991 |
| 17 | Atka mackerel | 58,253 |
| 18 | Northern white shrimp | 54,577 |
| 19 | American lobster | 54,569 |
| 20 | American cupped oyster | 52,947 |
| 21 | Blue crab | 52,345 |
| 22 | Pacific herring | 43,150 |
| 23 | Chum(=Keta=Dog) salmon | 41,391 |
| 24 | Sablefish | 31,396 |
| 25 | Ocean shrimp | 29,728 |
| 26 | Northern brown shrimp | 24,239 |
| 27 | Flatfishes nei | 18,541 |
| 28 | Longfin squid | 18,418 |
| 29 | Rock sole | 18,290 |
| 30 | Arrowtooth flounder | 17,276 |
| 31 | Dungeness crab | 16,515 |
| 32 | Yellowfin tuna | 16,250 |
| 33 | Scorpionfishes, redfishes nei | 15,010 |
| 34 | Flathead sole | 14,147 |
| 35 | Rays, stingrays, mantas nei | 13,512 |
| 36 | Widow rockfish | 12,106 |
| 37 | Pacific shrimps nei | 11,610 |
| 38 | Pacific halibut | 11,357 |
| 39 | Albacore | 8,800 |
| 40 | Bigeye tuna | 8,789 |
| 41 | Northern pink shrimp | 6,851 |
| 42 | American angler | 6,660 |
| 43 | Jonah crab | 5,961 |
| 44 | Northern quahog(=Hard clam) | 5,925 |
| 45 | Coho(=Silver) salmon | 5,882 |
| 46 | North Atlantic rockweed | 5,826 |
| 47 | Northern shortfin squid | 5,709 |
| 48 | Winter skate | 5,646 |
| 49 | Scup | 5,493 |
| 50 | Blue mussel | 5,132 |
Data from FAO. 2025. Global Capture Production. In: Fisheries and Aquaculture.