Report: New Bedford, Dutch Harbor top fishing ports

WASHINGTON — Federal fisheries regulators say New Bedford, Massachusetts, remains the top fishing port for revenue, while Dutch Harbor, Alaska, remains tops for volume.

The annual report released Thursday by the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration found that the 2014 commercial fish catch was comparable to the catch from the year before.

NOAA Fisheries says the value of the catch nationwide dropped slightly, from $5.5 billion in 2013 to $5.4 billion last year, and the volume declined from 9.9 billion pounds to 9.5 billion pounds.

New Bedford has led the nation for revenue for 15 years.

The report put the value of New Bedford’s catch at $329 million, thanks largely to scallops. Dutch Harbor reported a catch of 762 million pounds, and came in second for value, at $191 million.

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