Slight increase in consumption seen as public health opportunity

October 31, 2014 Washington, DC 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.

The U.S. is a huge market for seafood, but per capita consumption is much lower here than in other developed countries, said NFI President John Connelly. This report is a good reminder that public health professionals and the government must seize momentum and re-energize efforts to promote important nutritional benefits associated with seafood.

The latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans list seafood as a food to encourage, specifically suggesting consumers swap out higher fat proteins for fish.

2013	lbs.
Shrimp	3.600
Salmon	2.702
Tuna	2.300
Tilapia	1.430
Alaska Pollock	1.154
Pangasius	0.771
Cod	0.605
Catfish	0.566
Crab	0.548
Clams	0.352
Top 10 Total	14.028
Other Seafood	0.472
Per Capita Consumption Total	14.5

The Top 10 make up almost 97% of all the seafood Americans eat. Experts say the bump in salmon may be a reflection of record runs of Alaska salmon in 2013 that contributed to canned and frozen supplies.

For more than 60 years, the National Fisheries Institute (NFI) and its members have provided American families with the variety of sustainable seafood essential to a healthy diet. For more information visit: www.AboutSeafood.com.

Contact Information

Lynsee Fowler
(703) 752-8899
lfowler