Seafood Consumption Dipped Last Year: NOAA

Tag : Canned Tuna
The average American ate 16.3 pounds of fish and shellfish in 2007,a 1 percent decline from 16.5 pounds in 2006, according to aFisheries Service study by the National Oceanic & AtmosphericAdministration of the U.S. Department of Commerce, which wasreleased today.

The total amount of seafood eaten last year came to 4.908 billionpounds of seafood, a little less than the 4.944 billion poundsconsumed in 2006. The United States is still the third-largestconsumer of fish and shellfish, after China and Japan.

Shrimp stayed the No. 1 seafood choice in the United States at 4.1pounds per person, a slight decline of 0.3 pounds from 2006. Of thetotal of 16.3 pounds consumed per person, 12.1 pounds were freshand frozen finfish and shellfish, down 0.2 pounds from 2006.
Canned seafood, mainly canned tuna, remained at 3.9 pounds perperson. Americans ate five pounds of fillets and steaks, includingAlaskan Pollock, salmon, flounder, and cod, down 0.2 pounds from2006. Cured seafood such as smoked salmon and dried cod accountedfor the remaining 0.3 pounds.

The United States imports about 84 percent of its seafood, aproportion that has been steadily rising. Imports made up just 63percent of U.S. seafood only a decade ago.

"While NOAA works to end overfishing and rebuild wild fish stocks,the U.S. also needs more sustainable domestic aquaculture to helpmeet consumer demand for healthy seafood and narrow the foreigntrade gap," noted Jim Balsiger, acting NOAA assistant administratorfor NOAA's Fisheries Service. "The National Offshore AquacultureAct of 2007, pending before Congress, would provide a clearpermitting process for
businesses and individuals to develop safe, sustainable aquaculturein U.S. federal waters."

At least half of the seafood the United States imports is farmed.Aquaculture production in the rest of the world has growndramatically over the past 30 years and now supplies half of theworld seafood demand, according to the United Nations Food andAgriculture Organization.

By contrast, America's aquaculture industry currently meets just 5percent to 7 percent of the nation's demand for seafood. Most ofthat is catfish, with oysters, clams, mussels, and salmon supplyinga combined 1.5 percent.

"Expanding U.S. aquaculture would provide consumers with moreaffordable, locally and regionally produced, safe and healthyseafood," said Balsiger. "The development of domestic aquaculturewill complement our wild fisheries and help revitalize waterfronteconomies."

NOAA's Fisheries Service annual report, "Fisheries of the UnitedStates" is available at http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/st1/index.html.