Seafood consumption in the United States slipped to 19 pounds or 8.6kg per capita in 2020, according to new data compiled by the National Fisheries Institute (NFI).
Delivering its latest Top 10 species consumption analysis, the Washington non-profit said that the onset of COVID-19 brought significant disruption to traditional business operations and consumer behaviours.
“While restaurants were forced to shutter, there was an impressive up-tick in seafood purchases at retail but apparently not enough to find an equilibrium in the first full-year of the pandemic.
“With a reputation for versatility at home and in foodservice, shrimp not only maintained the top spot but grew its number, reaching a record for the crustation at 5 pounds per person. Shelf stable stalwart canned tuna saw a jump in consumption, as did a variety of value white fish. Meanwhile, scallops joined the Top Ten List,” NFI advised.
It added that the raw data provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is historically retrospective, so pandemic-related market forces will likely only really be illustrated by data released over the next few years.
“The next Top Ten list could answer some long-held questions,” NFI Programs Director, Richard Barry, said. “Keep in mind, experts at the Global Seafood Market Conference, in January, were busy mapping a predicted overall increase in pandemic-era seafood consumption and species diversification trends, so watch this space.”
With regards to the 2020 list, after shrimp, the per capita consumption of salmon was 2.83 pounds, canned tuna – 2.6 pounds, tilapia – 1.07 pounds, Alaska pollock – 0.88 pounds, cod – 0.57 pounds, crab and catfish – both 0.52 pounds, pangasius – 0.39 pounds and scallops – 0.22 pounds.
As previously reported by World Fishing & Aquaculture, US fishermen landed 3.8 million tonnes of product in 2020, 10.4% less than the previous year. The total catch value was 14.6% lower at US$ 4.8 billion.
To meet the demand for seafood, the US imported 6.1 billion pounds of seafood products, valued at $21.4 billion, with shrimp offering the most overall valuable import.
The country also exported 2.4 billion pounds of seafood valued at $4.4 billion.
