Seafood Information
Mid Atlantic Seafood
A bounty of seafood can be found along the mid-Atlantic coast of the USA, including fresh fish and shellfish which vary by season. From New York to North Carolina, the mid-Atlantic region is home to some of the highest quality American seafood.
The mid-Atlantic region of the USA is usually defined as the states of New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina. Seafood of the region varies from south to north, although some species of fish and shellfish are found in every state.
The northernmost states of New York and New Jersey are famous for shellfish such as quahog clams, ocean clams, surf clams, soft shell clams, scallops, lobsters and several species of saltwater fish. These include several types of groundfish such as cod, haddock, pollock, hake, whiting, bluefish, yellowtail flounder, winter flounder, fluke, scup and others.
Delaware is unique, with ports along the Atlantic Coast as well as the Delaware Bay. Delaware seafood is dominated by shellfish landings, the most important being crabs, oysters and clams. Harvests of saltwater fish that are landed in Delaware ports include striped bass, black sea bass, Atlantic croaker, weakfish and spot.
Sharing the Delmarva Peninsula with Delaware is the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The area has a single sea port, located in Ocean City. Nearby are several smaller harbors and landings, located in coastal bays. A wide range of commercial fishing boats make Ocean City their home port.
Vessels fish for species such as swordfish, yellowfin tuna, wahoo, dolphinfish (mahi-mahi), sharks, black sea bass, croaker, spot, weakfish, bluefish, flounder, monkfish, dogfish, striped bass and other fish. Shellfish from the deep waters of the Atlantic are also landed in Ocean City, especially sea scallops, surf clams and lobsters.
Maryland's coastal bays are also productive, providing important catches of blue crabs, hard clams and a variety of inshore saltwater fish. Also important to the state's seafood harvests are aquaculture operations, which produce farmed clams and oysters.
Virginia is the mid-Atlantic's largest seafood producer, with several valuable types of fish and shellfish. The most valuable harvest by far comes from sea scallops, a shellfish that places Virginia among the top Atlantic states for both value and volume of seafood landings. Blue crabs are another important component of Virginia's seafood industry. Virginia has considerable harvests of both wild and farmed oysters and clams. Other commercial harvests of seafood from the Atlantic Ocean include lobsters, black sea bass, flounder, croaker, spot, monkfish, dogfish, striped bass and other species.
North Carolina is another leading source of Mid-Atlantic seafood. Commercial fishing boats from this state fish the open Atlantic as well the inshore estuaries. Landings of blue crabs are typically the largest of all the seafood in North Carolina, followed by croaker, flounder and shrimp. Other landings include clams, oysters, king mackerel, snapper, grouper, sea bass, tuna and other species.
Links
Community Supported Fishery Programs