Catch of the Day
Americans consume about 16 pounds of seafood per year. Eighty percent of it is imported. Check the catch of the day to see where America’s favorite seafood comes from.
Shrimp
- The most popular seafood in the U.S. (2001-2006)
- Per capita annual consumption, 4.40 pounds (2006)
- Eighty-seven percent of shrimp consumed in the U.S. is imported (2003).
- Most of it comes from Thailand, China, Ecuador, and Indonesia, and is farm-raised.
Tuna
- Canned, it’s the 2nd most popular seafood in the U.S. (2006).
- Per capita annual consumption, 2.90 pounds (2006)
- About 84 percent of fresh and canned tuna consumed in the U.S. was imported (2003).
- Most imported fresh tuna comes from Trinidad & Tobago, Vietnam, and Mexico.
Salmon
- The 3rd most popular seafood in the U.S. (2006)
- Per capita annual consumption, 2.026 pounds (2006)
- About 80 percent of the salmon eaten in the United States is Atlantic salmon, which is mostly imported and farm-raised. It comes from Canada, Norway, Chile, and the United Kingdom (Scotland).
- Pacific salmon—mainly from Alaska—is wild-caught and the harvest is regulated.
- Raising fish in enclosed areas provides a reliable source of protein, but the enclosures themselves can become sources of pollution, and the fish can be susceptible to disease.
Pollock
- The 4th most popular seafood in the U.S. (2006)
- Per capita annual consumption, 1.639 pounds (2006)
- Eaten as fish-sticks and commercial fish sandwiches
- Harvested in the wild in the North Pacific and Bering Sea
