Commercial Fishing Revenue, April 10

Report from the Oregon Employment Dept. Although the number of fishing vessels has declined from historic highs, it has stabilized for the past few years. Fishing is slowly generating more revenue per boat although that trend reversed in 2014. There were 1,229 vessels with at least one landing in 2014, up just slightly from 2013. They averaged about $127,000 each in landed value in Oregon down 17 percent from the previous year. Each vessel supported about 1.2 jobs on an annual average basis; many vessels have landings only part of the year. In addition to direct employment, commercial fishing provides the resource for seafood processors. There were 23 seafood processors in Oregon that had employees in 2014, one fewer than the previous year. The annual average direct employment for the entire industry was 1,131. Some processors also use temporary help firms to round out their staffing, but these employees are counted in the business services industry.