Wasted Cash: The Price of Waste in the U.S. Fishing Industry | Oceana

Report | June, 2014

Wasted Cash: The Price of Waste in the U.S. Fishing Industry

 

Bycatch, or the capture of non-target fish and ocean wildlife, remains one of the biggest threats to the health of ocean ecosystems, contributing to overfishing and the decline of fish populations around the world. As much as 2 billion pounds of fish are discarded by fisheries in the United States each year, hindering the recovery of depleted stocks. What is the price the industry pays for this wasteful habit? In this report, Oceana estimates that the value of discarded fish in the U.S. is at least $1 billion annually.