From RiverAndReef.com
SEAFOOD CONSUMPTION DECLINES SLIGHTLY IN 2005
By NOAA
Feb 7, 2007, 18:55
SEAFOOD
CONSUMPTION DECLINES SLIGHTLY IN 2005
Feb.
7, 2007 ? Americans ate 16.2 pounds of fish and shellfish per person
in 2005, a two percent decrease from the 2004 consumption figure of
16.6 pounds. Despite the decline in consumption, consumer expenditures
for seafood products increased by $3.3 billion, representing a five
percent increase for a total of $65.2 billion. The commercial marine
fishing industry contributed $32.9 billion to the U.S. Gross National
Product in 2005, up from $31.6 billion in 2004.
In 2005,
Americans spent $44.5 billion in seafood restaurants, a $1.7 billion
increase over 2004. Americans purchased $20.5 billion worth of seafood
for home consumption, an increase of $1.6 billion over 2004.
NOAA released
the statistics in the 2005 edition of its annual publication, “Fisheries
of the United States.”
Despite
the slight decrease in 2005, overall seafood consumption in the United
States has trended upwards in the past five years: In 2001, the consumption
rate was 14.8 pounds, in 2002 it was 15.6 pounds and in 2003 it was
16.3 pounds.
Americans
consumed a total of 4.8 billion pounds of seafood in 2005. The nation
still imports roughly 80 percent of its seafood, and remains the third
largest global consumer of fish and shellfish, behind Japan and China.
“The
seafood industry continues to be big business in the United States,”
said Bill Hogarth,
director of the NOAA Fisheries Service.
“Seafood remains a favorite food choice among Americans due to
its high value for nutrition and health.”
Of the
total 16.2 pounds consumed per person, 11.6 pounds were fresh and frozen
finfish and shellfish, down 0.2 pounds from last year. Canned seafood
consumption dropped 0.2 pounds to 4.3 pounds per capita. A record figure
was consumption of fillets and steaks, up 0.4 pounds to 5.0 pounds per
person. Canned tuna consumption fell 0.2 pounds to 3.1 pounds per person.
Shrimp
continues to be the top consumed seafood in the United States at 4.1
pounds of shrimp consumed in 2005, down 0.1 pounds from 2004. In 2005,
shrimp exports increased by 27 million pounds, for a 10-year record
high of shrimp exports at 95.5 million pounds, while shrimp imports
decreased by 53 million pounds. Both statistics are calculated based
on a heads-off basis.
The NOAA
Fisheries Service’s calculation of per capita consumption is based
on a “disappearance” model. The total U.S. supply is calculated
as the sum of imports and landings minus exports, converted to edible
weight. This total is divided by the total U.S. population to estimate
per capita consumption.
The NOAA
Fisheries Service has been calculating the nation’s seafood consumption
rates since 1910 to keep consumers and the industry informed. This information
is published every year in the NOAA Fisheries Service annual report,
“Fisheries of the United States.”
U.S.
Annual Per Capita Consumption Seafood and Shellfish |
Pounds
of Edible Meat: |
| Year |
Fresh
and frozen |
Canned |
Cured |
Total |
| 2001 |
10.3 |
4.2 |
0.3 |
14.8 |
| 2002 |
11.0 |
4.3 |
0.3 |
15.6 |
| 2003 |
11.4 |
4.6 |
0.3 |
16.3 |
| 2004 |
11.8 |
4.5 |
0.3 |
16.2 |
| 2005 |
11.6 |
4.3 |
0.3 |
16.2 |
U.S.
Annual Per Capita Consumption of Canned Fishery Products, Pounds |
| Year |
Salmon |
Sardines |
Tuna |
Shellfish |
Other |
Total |
| 2001 |
0.4 |
0.2 |
2.9 |
0.3 |
0.4 |
4.2 |
| 2002 |
0.5 |
0.1 |
3.1 |
0.3 |
0.3 |
4.3 |
| 2003 |
0.4 |
0.1 |
3.4 |
0.4 |
0.3 |
3.6 |
| 2004 |
0.3 |
0.1 |
3.3 |
0.4 |
0.4 |
4.5 |
| 2005 |
0.4 |
0.1 |
3.1 |
0.4 |
0.3 |
4.3 |
U.S.
Annual Per capita Consumption of Certain Fishery items, Pounds |
| Year |
Fillets
and Steaks |
Sticks
and Portions |
Shrimp |
| 2001 |
3.7 |
0.8 |
3.4 |
| 2002 |
4.1 |
0.8 |
3.7 |
| 2003 |
4.3 |
0.7 |
4.0 |
| 2004 |
4.6 |
0.7 |
4.2 |
| 2005 |
5.0 |
0.9 |
4.1 |
NOAA, an
agency of the U.S. Commerce Department,
is celebrating 200 years
of science and service to the nation. From the establishment of
the Survey of the Coast in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson to the formation
of the Weather Bureau and the Commission of Fish and Fisheries in the
1870s, much of America's scientific heritage is rooted in NOAA. NOAA
is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through
the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and
information service delivery for transportation, and by providing environmental
stewardship of the nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the
emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS),
NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 60 countries and
the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that
is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.
Relevant Web Sites
Fisheries of the United
States — 2005
NOAA
Fisheries Service
NOAA
Fisheries Service Statistics
Media
Contact:
Susan Buchanan, NOAA
Fisheries Service, (301) 713-2370