The report examined economic losses in three main regions: the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, New England and Mid-Atlantic, and Alaska and the Pacific Coast. The southeast region had the most valuable discarded fish at $1.20 per pound, including fish like shrimp, grouper, snapper, tuna and swordfish. Popular dinner plate discards in Alaska and the Pacific include halibut and Bluefin tuna, while sea scallops and flounder are often wasted in the New England and Mid-Atlantic region.
"The staggering amount of fish thrown away every year in the U.S. represents a real loss, both to fishermen and the future resilience of ocean ecosystems," Oceana marine scientist and report author Amanda Keledjian said. "Fisheries should take the same steps other successful businesses do to cut waste and increase efficiency. In many cases, fishermen have the means and knowledge to make these changes, but lack the economic incentives to do so."
To calculate these losses, Oceana multiplied the most recent bycatch data from the National Marine Fisheries Service by the price per pound of discarded fish. Though this analysis is conservative (since it doesn't account for observer bias, undocumented mortality, or include sea turtles or marine mammals), it provides insight into the true costs and benefits that must be weighed when making fishery management decisions.