January 13, 2022 — The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) announced the state’s seafood value reached an all-time high in 2021, with ex-vessel value landed sitting at over $800 million pounds by the end of the year.
Story Reed, Permitting & Statistics Program Manager for the DMF described the record-breaking year as a “remarkable turnaround from 2020.”
Reed broke down how 2020 impacted the seafood industry leading to revenue loss as traditional markets were essentially shuttered due to lockdown measures and consumers avoiding restaurants for most of the year.
For comparison to the $800 million, the 2020 ex-vessel value was $558 million and the five-year average (2015-2019) ex-vessel value was approximately $600 million, per the DMF.