U.S. market
Since 2000, commercial fish and shellfish landings in the U.S. have utilized generally about three to four times more fish and shellfish for human food than for other industrial purposes. Shrimp and salmon generated the most seafood department sales in 2019, followed by tuna. In 2021, oysters saw the most growth in sales value. Lobster and halibut also had significant growth in sales value.Seafood consumption
The annual per capita consumption of fish worldwide has also remained constant for over five years, at about 20 kilograms per consumer. In the U.S., consumers are spending up to 229 U.S. dollars on fish annually, with the Northeast region of the U.S. spending the most. Though not as popular as meat like fresh chicken breast or pork chops, both fresh and frozen fish have been used by more Americans than fresh whole turkey or pork roast. More than half of U.S. consumers use prepared frozen seafood and fish. Among frozen seafood products, shrimp is the most popular, with over 900 million U.S. dollars in sales in 2021.Environmental impact
As of 2021, over 40 percent of Americans consider sustainability when purchasing seafood. There has been recent controversy surrounding the seafood industry. Natural marine habitats have been seeing the impacts of commercial fishing, such as pollution, shrinking fish populations, and harm to habitats. The growing demand of seafood worldwide is leading many commercial fishing businesses to overfish areas which can cause damage to the sea floor and seriously impact fish populations. In the wake of concerns about the environment and climate change, many individuals and governments are pressuring for policies to reduce the harm caused by the seafood industry.
