U.S. seafood consumption

Abstract

U.S. seafood consumption has changed dramatically in recent decades and has become increasingly dominated by the consumption of a limited number of species that are primarily imported and predominantly sourced from aquaculture. In getting to this point, the United States has been, and still is, at the forefront of some of the most important trends in global seafood markets. Hence, discussing the factors influencing U.S. seafood consumption patterns is an interesting and informative endeavor and will most likely also have strong predictive power for the continued development of seafood markets in the United States. In this article, we will discuss the transitions in the U.S. seafood market, primarily focusing on the period from 1990 to the present, highlighting the main factors that facilitated this development. This article provides an overview of U.S. landings, aquaculture production, exports, and imports and also explores contributing trends in global export and import markets. This will be followed by a discussion of U.S. per capita consumption patterns and an examination of the consolidation of species consumed over time. Finally, implications for future trends in seafood consumption and production are discussed.

Food Sources and Expenditures for Seafood in the United States

“…Consumers preferred buying some products from retailers and others from restaurants. Shrimp and salmon are the top two seafood products consumed in the U.S. [ 6 ] and we found that (by weight) salmon was more often purchased at retail outlets like grocery stores, while shrimp was more often purchased at restaurants and other food service venues. These food sourcing preferences may be related to consumers’ perceived ability or comfort to cook certain species at home or the availability of products at different venues [ 34 , 35 ].…”

“…The current U.S. seafood supply provides 140 g/week (4.9 oz/week) per person, a level that has remained relatively constant for three decades [ 6 , 7 ]. Market growth in terms of amount consumed is significant [ 6 , 7 ], but mainly reflects population growth.…”

“…The current U.S. seafood supply provides 140 g/week (4.9 oz/week) per person, a level that has remained relatively constant for three decades [ 6 , 7 ]. Market growth in terms of amount consumed is significant [ 6 , 7 ], but mainly reflects population growth. Analyses of trade data indicate that the five top species consumed by Americans are shrimp, salmon, canned tuna, catfish/pangasius, and tilapia, which jointly comprise 70–80% of the U.S. seafood supply [ 6 ].…”

“…Market growth in terms of amount consumed is significant [ 6 , 7 ], but mainly reflects population growth. Analyses of trade data indicate that the five top species consumed by Americans are shrimp, salmon, canned tuna, catfish/pangasius, and tilapia, which jointly comprise 70–80% of the U.S. seafood supply [ 6 ]. Focus has shifted from wild capture to farm-raised products, and there is an increasing reliance on imports as U.S. production has been stable since the mid-1980′s [ 6 ].…”

Differentiation in the Atlantic salmon industry: A synopsis

“…For instance, salmon is the most popular fresh species in retail sales in Germany (Bronnmann & Asche, 2017), France (Landazuri-Tveteras et al, 2018), and the US (Love et al, 2020). In the US, salmon is still only the second most consumed seafood species, with shrimp more popular at restaurants (Shamshak et al, 2019). 2.…”