High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! As with other countries, the 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone off the coast of the United States gives its fishing industry special fishing rights. It covers 11.4 million square kilometres. This is the largest zone in the world, exceeding the land area of the United States. According to the FAO, in 2005 the United States harvested 4,888,621 million tonnes of fish from wild fisheries and another 471,958 tonnes from aquaculture. This made the United States the fifth leading producer of fish after China, Peru, India and Indonesia, with 3.8 percent of the world total.