Commercial Fishing Jobs in Oregon, April 10

Report from the Oregon Employment Dept. The annual average number of jobs in commercial fishing was estimated to be 1,491 in 2014. Estimating employment in fishing is more difficult than measuring the harvests. Regislation in 1999 allowed most fishermen to be exempt from unemployment insurance coverage – the primary source of employment data. The Oregon Employment Department now estimates the number of fishing jobs based on survey data and the number commercial fish landings made. This method is new for 2014 and resulted in a lower employment estimate than in recent years. The estimated number of jobs varied from a high of 1,913 in May to a low of 537 in November. The five coastal counties – Clatsop, Lincoln, Coos, Curry and Tillamook – had 91 percent of the total jobs in commercial fishing based on landings. Coos County (314) and Curry County (220) combined accounted for just move than one-third of commercial fishing employment in Oregon. Perhaps even more surprising is that some interior counties, such as Jefferson and Yamhill, had any commercial fishing jobs. Such jobs are almost always based on crayfish harvests. The most important fisheries for employment are crab, salmon and albacore tuna. There are about 80 species that were commercially harvested in 2014.