Shrimp continues to dominate Americans’ seafood preferences, according to the National Fisheries Institute (NFI), which released its updated top 10 most consumed seafood species list on Monday, 24 February.
The list, comprised using data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) 2018 “Fisheries of the United States” report, corroborates that “Americans are eating more fish now than they have in over a decade,” NFI said.
In 2018, NOAA found that U.S. consumers ate 16.1 pounds of seafood per capita, up from the 16 pounds recorded in 2017. Approximately 13.77 pounds, or 86 percent, of seafood consumed by Americans in 2018 came courtesy of the species making up NFI’s list, including shrimp (4.60 pounds), salmon (2.55 pounds), tuna (2.10 pounds), tilapia (1.11 pounds), Alaska pollock (0.77 pounds), pangasius (0.63 pounds), cod (0.62 pounds), catfish (0.56 pounds), crab (0.52 pounds), and clams (0.32 pounds).
Species outside of the top 10 list accounted for 2.33 pounds of the total per capita consumption level in 2018, NFI said, indicating that Americans are eating and enjoying a greater variety of seafood.
“It is so important for a family that wants to eat healthy and be able to prepare food easily to include seafood at supper or for snacks. It is really encouraging to see Americans eating more seafood,” Jennifer McGuire, a registered dietician with NFI, said in a press release. “Yet another year of growth shows Americans are putting fish at the center of their plates.”
Photo courtesy of Diana Taliun/Shutterstock
