Seafood consumption in the United States increased substantially last year, though shrimp remains far and away the country’s favorite fish product, finds the latest annual report on consumption compiled by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The report, “Fisheries of the United States,” finds almost 1 pound (454g) of seafood was added to Americans’ diets in 2015, taking the nation’s per capita consumption up to 15.5 pounds (7 kg), of which 4 pounds (1.8 kg) was accounted for by shrimp. In second place on the list was salmon at 2.879 pounds (1.3 kg), while tuna was third with 2.2 pounds (1 kg).
The rise was largely attributed to the increased consumption of fresh and frozen seafood, though NOAA also highlighted that the consumption of canned seafood went up too.
Almost 1.8 billion pounds (816,466 metric tons – MT) of shrimp were supplied to the U.S. market last year, an increase of more than 60 million pounds (27,216 MT) compared to 2014, with 199.5 million pounds (90,492 MT) landed by the country’s fishing fleet (up from 180.2 million pounds in 2014) and close to 1.7 billion pounds (771,107 MT) imported (up from 1.6 billion pounds). The country also exported 67.3 million pounds (30,527 MT) of shrimp, an increase of more than 11 million pounds (4,990 MT).
NOAA’s report also finds that U.S. breaded shrimp production last year amounted to 107.4 million pounds (48,716 MT) valued at USD 376 million (EUR 343 million), up from 105.1 million pounds (47,673 MT) worth USD 314.7 million (EUR 287.5 million) in 2014.
