Americans consumed 15.8 pounds of seafood per capita in restaurants and at home in 2009, down 1.25 percent from 16 pounds apiece the year before, according to the National Fisheries Institute.
At the same time, they ate more salmon, Alaska Pollock and Tilapia in 2009 than they did a year earlier, while shrimp again proved to be the giant favorite among domestic shell-and-finned food fanciers, the McLean, Va.-based trade group said.
NFI officials said that while per-capita consumption declined slightly last year, population growth resulted in a 45-million pound increase in total domestic consumption compared with the prior year.
“From a public health perspective, it’s imperative that Americans eat more fish,” said Jennifer McGuire, NFI’s registered dietitian. “This is a message we expect to see front and center when federal health experts release the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans this year — the familiar food pyramid program.
“While we anticipate hearing a lot about eating less salt and not as much saturated fat, when it comes to seafood more is better,” she said.
The NFI, which released its annual list of the 10 most consumed fish or shellfish Tuesday, said the 10 items on the list accounted for a full 88 percent of the fish and shellfish consumed in the United States last year.
The only newcomer to the list was Pangasius, at No. 10, an imported fish compared by some users to catfish. It knocked flatfish off the list, which was ranked at No. 9 in 2008.
The NFI’s Top 10, with the per-capita amount consumed in 2009, as well as 2008 amount in parenthesis, is as follows:
1) Shrimp, 4.10 pounds (4.10 pounds)
2) Canned tuna, 2.50 pounds (2.80 pounds)
3) Salmon, 2.04 pounds (1.84 pounds)
4) Alaska Pollock, 1.45 pounds (1.34 pounds)
5) Tilapia, 1.21 pounds (1.19 pounds)
6) Catfish, 0.85 pounds (0.92 pounds)
7) Crab, 0.59 pounds (0.61 pounds)
8) Cod, 0.42 pounds, (0.44 pounds)
9) Clams, 0.41 pounds (0.42 pounds)
10) Pangasius, 0.36 pounds
The trade group represents producers and distributors of fish and shellfish products.
Contact Alan Liddle at aliddle@nrn.com.
