This and more agency data will be officially released next week in the 2004 edition of its annual publication, “Fisheries of the United States.”

This is the third year in a row that U.S. per capita seafood consumption has increased. The 2004 figure is up from 16.3 pounds per person in 2003, an increase of two percent. In 2001 the rate was 14.8 pounds per person, and in 2002 it was 15.6 pounds per person.

"Seafood is a safe and healthy food choice for all Americans and, as this trend shows, the demand keeps rising,” said Bill Hogarth, director of NOAA Fisheries Service. “The Administration's National Offshore Aquaculture bill is one way to meet this demand with seafood that is either harvested or grown right here in the United States."

Of the total 16.6 pounds consumed per person, a record 11.8 pounds were fresh and frozen finfish and shellfish, up 0.4 pounds from last year. Canned seafood consumption dropped 0.1 pounds to 4.5 pounds per capita. These rates reflect a continuing trend toward fresh and frozen seafood consumption. In 2000, Americans consumed 10.2 pounds of fresh and frozen seafood and 4.7 pounds of canned seafood per capita.

Shrimp continues to be a favorite among American seafood eaters. A record 4.2 pounds of shrimp were consumed per person last year, up 0.2 pounds from 2003. Another record figure was consumption of fillets and steaks, up 0.3 pounds to 4.6 pounds per person. Conversely, canned tuna consumption fell 0.1 pounds to 3.3 pounds per person. A total of 4.8 billion pounds of seafood was consumed in the U.S. in 2004.

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.

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,” which will be available on the NOAA Fisheries Service web site upon publication next week.

U.S. Annual Per Capita Consumption Seafood and Shellfish  

Pounds of Edible Meat:

Year       Fresh & frozen      Canned      Cured   Total

2000       10.2                        4.7             0.3       15.2

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       16.6

U.S. Annual Per Capita Consumption of Canned Fishery Products, (pounds)

Year      Salmon      Sardines       Tuna      Shellfish      Other       Total

2000      0.3              0.2                 3.5         0.3                0.4           4.7

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           4.6

2004      0.3              0.1                 3.3         0.4                0.4           4.5

U.S. Annual Per Capita Consumption of Certain Fishery Items, (pounds)

Year      Fillets & Steaks      Sticks & Portions            Shrimp

2000      3.6                           0.9                                  3.2

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