Outreach & Extension: Fisheries & Seafood Business

Contact: Doug Lipton

Marine businesses are at a pivotal time in their history. Despite increased per capita consumption of seafood in the U.S., many Maryland companies have closed and others are enduring an extended period of low profitability due to multiple economic pressures, including increased global competition, reduced availability of raw materials, and higher costs associated with operations and regulatory compliance.

Maryland Sea Grant supports research and outreach focused on the relationship between economics, marine trades and the environment. Sea Grant Extension faculty work with resource management agencies throughout the east coast in developing techniques to enhance public fisheries and play significant roles in providing economic and policy assistance.

In the policy arena, Maryland Sea Grant Extension has worked with agencies and organizations throughout the Bay to ensure the delivery of research-based knowledge to decision-makers. One example is a report developed from an annual Sea Grant survey administered to Maryland crabmeat processors that provided data on the economic impact of the H2-B seasonal visa program. Given to Senator Barbara Mikulski (via the Chesapeake Bay Seafood Industries Association), this report influenced the ultimate passage of the “Save Our Small Businesses Act” in 2005, which saved a minimum of $10 million per year in revenues for crabmeat processors and preserved an estimated 925 domestic jobs in Maryland.

Listed below are several resources on Fisheries & Seafood Business developed by the Maryland Sea Grant Extension Program.

An Economic Analysis of Guest Workers in Maryland's Blue Crab Industry

University of Maryland resource economist Doug Lipton conducted an economic analysis that found that Maryland's domestic workforce would suffer greatly from the loss of guest workers in the crab industry.

Economic Impact of Blue Crab Regulations

An analysis of current crab processing practices in the state of Maryland finds that the regulations proposed by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, restricting possession of sponge crabs and male crabs less than 5-1-4 inches in carapace width, would result in annual lost sales to the Maryland processing industry of $13.5 million (January 2002).

The Warmwater Crab Fishery in Asia: Implications for the Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Industry

This report presents an overview of trends in crab landings, output of crab products, harvesting methods and export markets of the Asian brackish and warmwater marine crab species in Hong Kong, China, Maylasia and Thailand in 1992. The object of the report was to assess the international activity of the industry and its potential impact on the Chesapeake Bay crab industry.

Pfiesteria and the Seafood Industry

A study that analyzes the economic impact of the 1997 Pfiesteria outbreak on the Maryland seafood industry.

Coastal Environmental Economics Extension Network

A web resource guide to studies of the economic values provided by coastal environmental resources in four regions: New England, Chesapeake Bay, South Florida and Great Lakes.