Virginia has a long history and tradition of working waterfronts and maritime economic activity. The seafood industry is organized into different levels of the supply chain from producers, processors, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers, providing jobs for over 6,000 Virginians who work on the water. Many of these businesses engage in commercial activities with one another and rely on additional goods produced and services provided by other entities in Virginia for their continued survival and success. The characterization of the Virginia seafood supply chain is part of an ongoing study that will assess the economic benefits of the Virginia seafood industry to the Commonwealth's overall economy.
Commercial fisheries and aquaculture integrate the production level of the Virginia seafood supply chain. As the nation's third-largest producer of marine products with total landings of 393,065,090 pounds in 2019, Virginia commercial watermen annually harvest enough seafood to produce over 123 million meals. The production is only outpaced by Alaska and Louisiana. The dockside value to commercial fisheries alone was $184,270,303. Virginia also ranks as the largest seafood production state on the East Coast. Aquaculture also plays an essential role in the Virginia seafood industry. In 2018, the total sales from 191 farms were $112.6 million, making Virginia rank 4th in the U.S. aquaculture sales. The continued growth of the shellfish aquaculture industry in Virginia has added significant value to the State's seafood marketplace. Virginia's watermen-farmers provide consumers with a growing quantity of hard clams and oysters representing over $94.3 million dockside value, compared to $41.5 million from 2013. Oysters alone supported 70% of all aquaculture operations and 55% of sales valued at $62.4 million. Sales of food fish were $15.4 million, an increase of 35% from 2013.
Both fisheries and aquaculture production interact with processors and wholesaler-distributors in Virginia. Among the distributors identified, 82.8% transport fresh seafood, 64.6% live, and 55.6% frozen. 27.3% of those entities distribute non-Virginian species in trays or vacuum packs. Processed seafood is also found. 23.2% of the entities distribute prepared or partially prepared products with some value-added, 21.2% canned products, 12.1% pasteurized, 10.1% breaded or portioned, and 7.1% IQF - Individually Quick Frozen. All seafood distributors use motorized vehicles, while 30.3% use air freight, 13.1% marine cargo, and 9.1% export seafood in different market forms. Virginia seafood exports totaled $47.3million in 2017 to 20 countries. The entire industry provided approximately 11,000 full and part-time jobs for Virginians. Ninety percent of the fish and shellfish are harvested, processed, and shipped within 24 hours to domestic and international markets. With approximately 8.6 million inhabitants, Virginia consumed 138.5 million pounds of seafood annually, or 35.24% of the total landings in the State. 64.76% of the production volume is distributed to other states or countries.