Page 1 GAO-25-107447 Army Corps of Engineers
Waterborne commerce, or the transport of commercial goods over waterways,
plays a vital role in the nation’s economy. It includes a wide variety of goods
transported between ports on vessels, reflecting the many sectors of the
economy. In addition, waterborne commerce can include fish caught offshore
and brought to port for sale, known as commercial fish landings. According to the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, vessels transported such commerce on more
than 900 federal harbors and channels maintained by the Corps (see fig. 1).
Figure 1 – Ports of Houston, Texas and Dutch Harbor, Alaska
The Corps performs maintenance and construction projects at harbors and
channels around the country to help ensure they remain navigable for vessels
bringing goods to U.S. ports. This includes dredging to address shoaling—the
accumulation of sediment at the bottom of a harbor or channel—that can impede
continued and safe access to waterways for vessels, including fishing vessels.
Stakeholders, such as port officials and interest groups, have raised concerns
that small ports with commercial fishing activity are a low priority for the Corps’
navigation projects.
The Water Resources Development Act of 2022 includes a provision for GAO to
conduct a review of the Corps’ Waterborne Commerce Statistics Center’s
(Center) collection and reporting of waterborne commerce data, including data on
fishery landings and aquaculture harvest (Pub. L. No. 117-263, tit. LXXXI, §
8236(e), 136 Stat. 2395, 3772.) This report provides information on the Center’s
collection and use of these data.
• The Corps’ Waterborne Commerce Statistics Center collects data on the tons
of cargo, or tonnage, transported between or brought to U.S. ports. The
Center also collects data on pounds of commercial fish landings brought to
U.S. ports, using a database maintained by the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration.
U.S. Government Accountability Office
Commercial Fishing
Data Could Help Inform Budget
Process
-25-107447
Report to Congressional Committees
28, 2025
