In 2005, Americans consumed 16.2 pounds (7.3 kg) of fish and shellfish per person, according to a recent report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA). Although this figure represents a slight (two percent) decrease in average per capita consumption from the previous year, seafood consumption trends, overall, have been steadily increasing--in 2001, per capita consumption rates were 14.8 pounds (6.7 kg) per person. This trend is particularly relevant in light of a growing U.S. population and recent studies that predict global fisheries may collapse by mid-century if they are not managed more sustainably.
Country Comparisons
NOAA, in their annual Fisheries of the United States publication, reports that the total amount of seafood consumed by the U.S. in 2005 was 4.8 billion pounds, an amount greater than all national totals except those of Japan and China. U.S. per capita seafood consumption, however, remains below many other countries due to geographic, socio-economic, and/or cultural reasons. Still, eighty percent of seafood consumed in the U.S. is currently imported, meaning that American demand for seafood has an impact on the health of fisheries worldwide.
The Value of Fisheries
Currently, the global fishing industry generates tens of billions of dollars in revenues annually, and employs roughly 38 million people directly and another 162 million people indirectly (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment). Ensuring the longevity of global fisheries and the livelihoods of these individuals will require improved management practices as well as reduced demand. Finding successful environmental and economic trade-offs will not be easy: Americans spent roughly $65 billion on fish in 2005, up more than 5 percent from the previous year. Shrimp, in particular, continued to be the top consumed seafood in the U.S. according to the NOAA study, despite often being associated with capture and aquaculture practices that have negative environmental consequences.
Data from Fisheries of the United States 2005, National Marine Fisheries Service, Fisheries Statistics Division, NOAA, Silver Spring, MD
RELATED LINKS:
Fisheries of the United States per capita statistics
WRI: Fisheries Exhausted in a Single Generation
EarthTrends
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