In 2021, Americans consumed a record 20.5 pounds of seafood per capita, a whopping increase of 1.5 pounds from 2020’s figures. The latest numbers demonstrate Americans have expanded their taste for seafood with the help of fresh and frozen.
In 2020, Americans ate 19 pounds of seafood per capita, down slightly from 19.3 pounds in 2019. The onset of COVID-19 brought significant disruption to traditional business operations and consumer behaviors.
In 2019, Americans ate 19.2 pounds of seafood per capita, an increase of .2 pounds from 2018’s revised figure. In previous years, the Top 10 list has made up an outsized portion of US seafood consumption, nearly 90%. This time the familiar names on the Top 10 make up only 74%.
American consumers ate 16.1 pounds of seafood per capita in 2018; up from 16.0 pounds, a smaller increase than 2017’s monster 1.1 pound jump. Americans are eating more fish now than they have in over a decade.
In 2017 Americans ate 16 pounds of seafood per capita, an increase of 1.1 pounds from the 14.9 pounds consumed in 2016. It is the highest per capita consumption number in almost a decade.
In 2015 Americans ate 15.5 pounds of seafood per capita, up nearly a full pound (0.9 lb.) from 2014. The increase is reflected in multiple species across the National Fisheries Institute’s annual Top 10 list, a trend being celebrated by nutrition experts.
For the second year in a row, Americans are eating more seafood. Health conscious consumers appear to be helping reverse a trend that saw seafood consumption slipping.
A slight uptick on overall seafood consumption can be seen in the Commerce Departments latest data, used to calculate the National Fisheries Institutes (NFI) annual Top Ten list. While there is not much movement, in terms of rankings, sixty percent of the species saw an increase in consumption.
From Canned Tuna to Cod the top ten most consumed seafood items by Americans are a very familiar group that feeds a growing market. The federal government recently reported that the overall seafood volume was 4,650,000,000 pounds. The data also showed American seafood companies exported a record 3.3 billion pounds valued at $5.4 billion.
Americans ate 15.8 pounds of seafood per capita in 2009, down slightly from 16 pounds in 2008 and just ten varieties made up more than 88 percent of that consumption. The National Fisheries Institutes (NFI) Top Ten list for 2009 reveals the top two spots remain occupied by Shrimp and Canned Tuna and that while Salmon, Alaska Pollock and Tilapia each saw an increase in consumption they maintained their spots.
