Once Again, New Bedford Is America’s Number One Seaport

When it comes to the commercial value of fish that come into our harbor, New Bedford is once again first in the nation.  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that in terms of dollar value for the year 2012, New Bedford brought in $411 Million.

Dutch Harbor, Alaska leads the nation when it comes to volume.  But the dollar value of their catch was only $214 million.    The reason the value of our city's annual catch is so much higher are the famous New Bedford Scallops, which account for 80 percent of the catch.     

This marks the 13th year in a row that New Bedford Harbor has ranked first in the U.S. when it comes to the dollar value of it's catch.   It also shows an increase from 2011, when the catch totaled $369 million.