There are still plenty of fish in the sea, but far fewer Long John Silver’s restaurants in the U.S.

The seafood fast-food chain had nearly 900 franchised locations when it celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019, but ended last year with just 477 restaurants - nearly half of that number, according to Long John Silver’s latest franchise disclosure document, USA Today reports.

The restaurant, known for its fish and chips and popcorn shrimp baskets, has lost a net 110 locations since the start of 2023, including 23 in 2024.

In 2025, Long John Silver's closed 30 restaurants across 18 states and opened 10 new ones, according to ECIKS.org, a business tracking platform. The site, as well as The Sun, report that Long John Silver’s ended 2025 with 479 locations. Ohio saw the most closures last year with five locations shut down, while Arizona and Texas each lost three. The remaining closures were spread across 13 other states.

The Independent has contacted Long John Silver’s for comment.

Company spokesperson Laura Ellis attributed the shutdown to part of the brand’s strategy to strengthen its presence, not pull back. The closures were driven by individual location decisions, including expiring leases, relocations and changing market conditions, rather than a companywide effort to reduce its footprint, she said.

“These were individual market decisions and not part of a broad-based closure initiative,” Ellis told Fast Company.

After Four Oaks Partners bought Long John Silver’s in 2022, the chain closed about 110 locations as it shifted its focus from growing its footprint to improving profitability. About 70 to 75 of those closures involved co-branded restaurants with Taco Bell, KFC and A&W.

Other closures included temporary shutdowns for remodeling and about two dozen standalone restaurants that were closed due to factors such as lease expirations and shifting customer traffic.

Despite the fewer stores across the country, the company says the business remains strong. Long John Silver’s has posted 16 straight quarters of same-store sales growth, with systemwide sales climbing from $400 million in 2022 to nearly $430 million in 2025, Ellis told USA Today .

“The business has continued to build positive momentum under its current ownership,” Ellis told Fast Company.

As of June, Long John Silver’s locations are made up of 214 company-owned restaurants and 262 franchised locations, USA Today reports. More than 115 restaurants have also been remodeled while the company develops 25 new locations nationwide. The company has not announced when those new restaurants will open.