2012 USA Seafood Consumption

Americans consumed 4.5 billion pounds of seafood in 2012, according to Fisheries of the United States 2012, an annual report from NOAA Fisheries.

On average, Americans enjoyed 14.4 pounds of fish and shellfish in 2012. Average consumption was down four percent from 15.0 pounds in 2011.

According to the report, U.S. commercial fishermen landed 9.6 billion pounds of fish and shellfish in 2012, valued at $5.1 billion.

source: NOAA Fisheries

2011 USA Seafood Consumption

According to NOAA's report, entitled Fisheries of the United States 2011, U.S. commercial fishermen landed 10.1 billion pounds of fish and shellfish in 2011, valued at $5.3 billion.

Total U.S. seafood landings increased by 1.9 billion pounds and more than $784 million over 2010 levels, mainly due to higher catches of Gulf menhaden, Alaska pollock, and Pacific hake (whiting).

Gulf shrimp landings rose 20 percent, from 176 million pounds valued at $338 million in 2010 to 212 million pounds valued at $418 million in 2011.

Americans consumed 4.7 billion pounds of seafood in 2011. Around 91 percent of seafood consumed in the U.S. was imported, up five percent from 2010. The top three imported seafood products are shrimp, canned tuna, and tilapia fillets.

The report contains valuable data regarding U.S. commercial and recreational fisheries by species, productivity by fishing port, USA annual seafood consumption statistics, and other information.

source: NOAA Fisheries

NFI 2010 Top Ten Seafood List

On September 12, 2011, the National Fisheries Institute (NFI) released its 2010 Top Ten Seafood List.

According to NFI, the following list includes the top ten American seafood products. In parentheses is per capita consumption in pounds:

1. Shrimp (4.0)
2. Canned Tuna (2.7)
3. Salmon (1.999)
4. Tilapia (1.450)
5. Alaska Pollock (1.192)
6. Catfish (0.800)
7. Crab (0.573)
8. Cod (0.463)
9. Pangasius (0.405)
10. Clams (0.341)

Americans ate approximately 20 percent more tilapia in 2010 than in 2009, going from number five to number four on the NFI Top Ten Seafood List.

The list reflects a National Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS) recalculation of 2009’s total pounds per capita that changed to 16 lbs from 15.8 pounds.

NRDC Study: FDA Underestimates Gulf Coast Residents Exposure to Carcinogens in Seafood

Shrimp

A survey of Gulf Coast seafood consumption habits released by the Natural Resources Defense Council reveals that many Gulf residents are eating far more seafood, far more often, than the federal government has acknowledged, bringing seafood safety standards under renewed scrutiny.

Significant discrepancies between estimates by the Food and Drug Administration and reported consumption rates were found, in particular, with regard to shrimp consumption: on the low-end FDA’s estimates were 3.6 times too low, and on the high-end, actual consumption exceeded FDA estimates by more than 12-fold.

"It’s common knowledge that people in the Gulf love their seafood. When we think of food from the region we think of po-boys and gumbo, oyster bakes and jambalaya. Yet despite this, FDA has been setting safety standards for cancer-causing chemicals based on nationwide seafood consumption rates -- failing to take the uniqueness of the regional diet into consideration. And this is a problem, because it means that current FDA standards may also be failing to adequately protect many people in the Gulf," said Dr. Gina Solomon a senior scientist with NRDC. Additional comments by Dr. Solomon can be found in her blog post "It’s the Dose That Makes the Poison".

In June 2010, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a protocol for determining safe levels for cancer-causing chemicals from oil (PAHs) in Gulf seafood. The protocol was guided by seafood consumption rates derived from national data, rather than from a Gulf Coast survey or other surveys of frequent fish consumers.

Based on this national data, FDA assumed that people eat just two meals of fish and one meal of shrimp per week, with no more than 3 ounces of shrimp per meal (approximately four jumbo shrimp).

The NRDC survey, released in December 2010, looked at the eating habits of 547 Gulf Coast residents living in counties bordering the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. The survey revealed that the rate of shrimp consumption in coastal communities significantly exceeded the estimates used by FDA to calculate a safe level of exposure to PAHs.

Actual consumption rates ranged from 3.6 to 12.1 times higher than FDA estimates. Some subpopulations, particularly Vietnamese-Americans, also reported appreciably higher seafood consumption rates across the board (fish, shrimp, oyster, crab), than other survey respondents and FDA estimates.

Although the survey did not represent a random sample, the results are noteworthy in that they clearly show that a considerable portion of Gulf Coast residents eat substantially more seafood than reflected in FDA’s risk assessment.

In addition, many of survey respondents may be more vulnerable to contaminants in seafood than FDA accounted for due to smaller body weight: 60% reported that they weighed less than the weight estimate used by FDA to establish seafood safety, and more than 40% of respondents reported having children at home who eat seafood.

NRDC and Gulf groups remain concerned that when coupled with increased consumption rates, this can result in a significantly increased exposure to cancer-causing chemicals. And while the FDA has posted data that show very low levels of PAHs in seafood, flawed sampling procedures have led many experts to doubt the reliability of those results.

“Many Vietnamese-Americans in the Gulf eat seafood almost daily. We need to know that FDA is using strong guidelines that protect everyone in our community, not just the people who eat four jumbo shrimp a week,” said Jennifer Vu, co-coordinator of Mississippi Coalition for Vietnamese-American Fisherfolks and Families.

In August, nearly two dozen Gulf Coast groups and NRDC commented on FDA’s assumptions in a formal letter to the Agency saying that, in their judgment, these numbers significantly underestimate local seafood consumption.

In light of the NRDC survey results, 36 Gulf Coast groups along with NRDC have sent a letter to FDA calling on the agency to expedite the reassessment of the cut-off levels used for contaminants in Gulf seafood to assure that local dietary patterns and other vulnerabilities are incorporated, arguing that FDA’s current contaminant cut-offs routinely underestimate local seafood consumption and are inadequate to protect the health of local populations.

source: Natural Resources Defense Council

Top American Seafood of 2009

The National Fisheries Institute’s (NFI) "Top Ten" Seafood list for 2009 names shrimp as the most popular seafood in the USA. Other types of seafood in the top 10 included canned tuna, salmon, Alaska pollock, tilapia, catfish, crabs, cod, clams, and pangasius. The ten most popular varieties compromised more than 88 percent of American seafood consumption for the year.

2009 Top Ten Seafood (pounds per person)

Shrimp (4.1)

Canned Tuna (2.5)

Salmon (2.04)

Alaska Pollock (1.454)

Tilapia (1.208)

Catfish (0.849)

Crab (0.594)

Cod (0.419)

Clams (0.413)

Pangasius (0.356)

source: NFI

SSA Calls on Australian Governments to Promote Seafood Consumption

Australian Governments have been urged to encourage greater consumption of seafood to avoid a looming "epidemic" of mental ill health and other brain disorders.

This follows a warning from the world’s foremost authorities in neuroscience and nutrition, meeting in London recently, that western nations will suffer "unthinkable health, social and fiscal consequences” unless they increase consumption of DHA, an Omega-3 oil found most abundantly in seafood.

Mr Ted Loveday, Managing Director of Seafood Services Australia (SSA), said Australian Governments should heed the message from the London meeting and encourage greater consumption of seafood.

"One of SSA’s tasks is to help make Australians aware of the vital contribution fish and other seafood makes to good health," Mr Loveday said. "Scientists at the London conference want a return to what they term ‘traditional fish and seafood consumption’ to improve human health.

According to the health expert, "Humans evolved with high levels of consumption of fish and other seafood, and today we still require many of the nutrients they contain," he said. "The Omega-3 oils, or ‘fish oils’, are the best known but seafood contains a package of very important nutrients, such as iodine, selenium, zinc, copper and iron, all important for good health, especially brain health."