The United States imported 2,687,409 metric tons of edible seafood products worth USD 21.5 billion (EUR 18.4 billion) in 2017 – the highest figures in the country’s history.
At the same time, the U.S. exported 1,408,879 metric tons (MT) of edible seafood products valued at USD 5.4 billion (EUR 4.6 billion), revealing the country’s seafood trade deficit is growing, according to newly released data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
While the U.S. raised its exports by 9.9 percent by volume and seven percent by value over 2016, the value of its imports went up by an even larger rate. Total seafood imports increased 10.5 percent in value and 1.7 percent in volume from 2016.
The United States imports more than 90 percent of the seafood it consumes, with Americans particularly favoring imported shrimp, tuna, and salmon. Shrimp represented 30.4 percent of the value of total edible imports, with fresh and frozen salmon accounting for 16.3 percent, and fresh, frozen, and canned tuna representing roughly seven percent of the total.
The volume of shrimp imported into the United States hit 664,119 MT in 2017, an increase of 60,576 tons, or 10 percent, from 2016. Total shrimp imports were valued at USD 6.5 billion (EUR 5.6 billion), an increase of USD 840 million (EUR 718.7 million) – 14.8 percent – from 2016.
Imports of fresh and frozen salmon reached 356,385 MT valued at USD 3.5 billion (EUR 3 billion) in 2017. Imports of fresh and frozen tuna were 150,469 MT, down 19,850 MT (11.7 percent) from 2016. The value of fresh and frozen tuna imports increased by 2.2 percent to USD 1 billion (EUR 856 million), and the value of canned tuna imports rose by USD 108.9 million (EUR 83.2 million), or 20.8 percent, from 2016.
On the export side, the U.S. exported USD 920.2 million (EUR 787.6 million) worth of fresh and frozen salmon, USD 614.4 million (EUR 525.9 million) of lobster, and USD 459.4 million (EUR 393.2 million) worth of surimi. The U.S. also sent USD 192.4 million (EUR 164.7 million) worth of canned seafood overseas, with canned salmon representing USD 159.2 million (EUR 136.3 million) of that total.
The top destinations for U.S. exports were China, Japan, and South Korea, while the countries from which the United States imported the most seafood from in 2017 included Canada, China, and Chile.
The United States imports more than 90 percent of the seafood it consumes, but U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has identified reducing the deficit as a priority for the administration of President Donald Trump. NOAA spokesperson Jennie Lyons told the Associated Press that Ross and others in U.S. fisheries are looking at new strategies to cut the deficit, including increasing the amount of aquaculture-based farming.
However, complex supply chains can muddy the waters surrounding the exact totals listed in NOAA’s seafood import and export figures. Many species, such as salmon and lobster, are caught in the U.S., exported to other countries that have greater processing capacity, and return to the U.S. as imports.
The U.S. and its trading partners depend on each other to satisfy worldwide demand for seafood products, Lobster Council of Canada Executive Director Geoff Irvine told the AP.
“Our relationship is vital, and it is symbiotic,” he said.
Photo courtesy of SalmonWholesale.com
