Americans eating a lot more seafood, according to NFI’s new Top 10 list

Americans ate over a pound more seafood per capita in 2017 than they did the year before, according to the latest figures shared in the National Fisheries Institute’s (NFI) annual list of the top 10 most consumed seafood species in the United States. 

In 2017, Americans consumed 16 pounds of seafood per capita, an increase of 1.1 pounds from 2016 – a considerable hike, said NFI President John Connelly. 

“More than a pound increase is substantial,” Connelly said in a prepared statement. 

The pound-plus increase wasn’t the only eye-opening figure presented in this year’s list, either, Connelly noted. The new numbers suggest that seafood consumption in the United States may be diversifying beyond the usual suspects, he said.

“It’s significant to note the Top Ten List as a percentage of total consumption. Last year just those 10 species made up more than 90 percent of all the seafood Americans ate. This year the list makes up only 84 percent. That’s quite a bit of diversification in just one year. While we see solid increases is some traditional staples, that growth outside the top 10 is certainly something to watch,” Connelly said. 

Shrimp once again topped the list, jumping three-tenths of a pound from 2016 to 4.4 pounds in 2017. Salmon, up from 2016 by more than two-tenths of a pound at 2.41 pounds, claimed the second slot, with canned tuna, at 2.1 pounds, coming in third. 

“This increase in consumption follows higher domestic landings and more globally sourced product. Both are great news for American jobs,” said Connelly. 

The data used to calculated NFI’s Top 10 species list originates from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) latest U.S. fisheries report featuring figures from 2017.