NOAA 2000-138
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kate Naughten
8/1/00

AMERICANS ATE MORE SEAFOOD IN 1999

Seafood consumption in the U.S. increased 3.6 percent with Americans consuming 4.2 billion pounds of domestic and imported seafood in 1999, or 15.3 pounds per person, the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced today.

Officials from NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service said that the per capita consumption level of 15.3 pounds per person represents an increase of 0.4 pound from the 1998 level.

Of the 15.3 pounds of seafood consumed per person, 10.4 pounds were fresh or frozen fish or shellfish, 4.6 pounds were canned seafood, and 0.3 pounds of seafood was cured. Compared to 1998 figures, that represents a 0.2 pound increase in both the fresh/frozen and canned products.

The consumption of shrimp (all preparation) achieved a record 3.0 pounds consumed per person.

Total U.S. supply of edible fishery products on a round weight basis was down 1.3 percent in 1999. While U.S. landings for human consumption declined by 4.8 percent, imported fish and shellfish increased 9.0 percent in 1999, comprising 66 percent of the seafood consumed in the United States. U.S. exports increased by 11.3 percent. Inventories of frozen seafood in cold storage dropped slightly, declining 4.9 percent from the 1998 level.

NOAA Fisheries, an agency of the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is the principal steward of the nation's living marine resources. NOAA Fisheries is dedicated to preserving marine resources through scientific research, management, enforcement and conservation.

PER CAPITA U.S. CONSUMPTION

 Year Civilian
Resident
Population
July 1
Million
Persons		  Fresh
and
Frozen		  Canned  Cured  Total

Pounds, Edible Meat 
 1995  261.4  10.0  4.7  0.3  15.0
 1996  264.0  10.0  4.5  0.3  14.8
 1997  266.4   9.9  4.4  0.3  14.6
 1998  269.1  10.2  4.4  0.3  14.9
 1999  271.5  10.4  4.6  0.3  15.3

"U.S. Annual Per Capita Consumption of Canned Fishery Products, 1995-99"

 Year  Salmon  Sardines  Tuna  Shellfish  Other  Total

Pounds 
 1995  0.5  0.2  3.4  0.3  0.3  4.7
 1996  0.5  0.2  3.2  0.3  0.3  4.5
 1997  0.4  0.2  3.1  0.3  0.4  4.4
 1998  0.3  0.2  3.4  0.3  0.2  4.4
 1999  0.3  0.2  3.4  0.4  0.3  4.6

"U.S. Annual Per Capita Consumption of Certain Fishery Items, 1995-99"

 Year  Fillets
and
Steaks		  Sticks
and
Portions		  Shrimp
All
Preperations

Pounds 
 1995  2.9  1.2   2.5
 1996  3.0  1.0   2.5
 1997  3.0  1.0   2.7
 1998  3.2  0.9  2.8
 1999  3.2  1.0  *3.0

*Record

The NOAA Fisheries' calculation of per capita consumption is based on a "disappearance" model. The total U.S. supply of imports and landings is converted to edible weight and decreases in supply such as exports and inventories are subtracted out. The remaining total is divided by a population value to estimate per capita consumption. Data for the model are derived primarily from secondary sources and are subject to incomplete reporting; changes in source data or invalid model assumptions may each have a significant effect on the resulting calculation.