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GAO-25-107447 1 (April 28, 2025)

handle is hein.gao/arycpsoee0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Why This Matters 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 Sources: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. I GAO-25A107447 Key Takeaways 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. Page 1 GAO-25-107447 Army Corps of Engineers Page 1 GAO-25-107447 Army Corps of Engineers

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