Seafood is a global food and economic system spanning wild capture fisheries, aquaculture, international trade, and recreational fishing. In 2022, fisheries and aquaculture produced 223.2 million tonnes worldwide, including 185.4 million tonnes of aquatic animals and 37.8 million tonnes of algae, according to FAO SOFIA 2024. The figures below separate production, consumption, trade, and U.S. industry measures so the time period and geography remain clear.
Table of contents
- Global seafood production
- Aquaculture and production leaders
- Seafood consumption and trade
- U.S. aquaculture
- U.S. wild fisheries and management
- Jobs and economic impact
Global seafood production
FAO SOFIA 2024 reported 223.2 million tonnes of combined fisheries and aquaculture production in 2022. Aquatic animal production made up 185.4 million tonnes, while algae production totaled 37.8 million tonnes. These are global production measures for 2022, and they should not be confused with the amount ultimately eaten in that same year.
The two main sources of aquatic animals were aquaculture and capture fisheries. Global aquaculture production reached 130.9 million tonnes in 2022. Global capture fisheries production reached 92.3 million tonnes. Within the aquatic-animal total, aquaculture supplied 51 percent, equivalent to 94.4 million tonnes. The differing totals reflect the fact that the broader aquaculture figure includes algae, while the 94.4-million-tonne figure refers to aquatic animals.
The estimated first-sale value of all fisheries and aquaculture production was USD 472 billion in 2022, according to FAO SOFIA 2024. Aquaculture alone had an estimated first-sale value of USD 313 billion. First-sale value measures the value when production enters the initial market; it is not the same as retail sales or the value of international trade.
Aquaculture and production leaders
Aquaculture was concentrated among a relatively small group of producers in 2022. Ten countries produced 89.8 percent of total aquaculture output, according to FAO SOFIA 2024. China accounted for 36 percent of aquatic animal production by country. India accounted for 8 percent.
Several other countries also represented substantial shares of aquatic-animal production. Indonesia accounted for 7 percent, Viet Nam for 5 percent, and Peru for 3 percent. India, Indonesia, and Viet Nam were among the top five aquatic-animal producers in 2022. These percentages describe country shares of aquatic-animal production, rather than shares of the entire 223.2-million-tonne total that also includes algae.
| Measure | Period | Reported figure | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aquatic animal production | 2022 | 185.4 million tonnes | FAO SOFIA 2024 |
| Aquaculture production | 2022 | 130.9 million tonnes | FAO SOFIA 2024 |
| Capture fisheries production | 2022 | 92.3 million tonnes | FAO SOFIA 2024 |
| Aquaculture share of aquatic-animal production | 2022 | 51% / 94.4 million tonnes | FAO SOFIA 2024 |
| Total first-sale value | 2022 | USD 472 billion | FAO SOFIA 2024 |
| Aquaculture first-sale value | 2022 | USD 313 billion | FAO SOFIA 2024 |
The U.S. marine aquaculture sector produces primarily oysters, clams, mussels, shrimp, salmon, and other marine fish, according to NOAA Fisheries Marine Aquaculture. U.S. marine aquaculture had a landed value of USD 1.5 billion. Aquaculture accounted for 21 percent of the value of domestic fisheries landings in the United States.
NOAA Fisheries Marine Aquaculture also reported that U.S. production lagged behind the world enough to contribute to a USD 16.9 billion seafood deficit in 2020. The same source estimated that the United States imported roughly 70 to 85 percent of the seafood it eats, that about half of imported seafood consumed in the country was farmed, and that aquaculture supplied only about 7 percent of the entire U.S. seafood supply.
Seafood consumption and trade
Global apparent consumption of aquatic animal foods reached 162.5 million tonnes in 2021, according to FAO SOFIA 2024. Global apparent consumption per person was 20.6 kilograms in 2021. On the longer measure supplied by FAO, per-capita aquatic-food consumption increased from 9.1 kilograms in 1961 to 20.6 kilograms in 2021.
The United States had average seafood consumption of 20.5 pounds per person in 2021, according to the USDA ERS Seafood Consumption chart. U.S. per-capita consumption grew 30 percent over the three decades through 2021. A separate USDA ERS Aquaculture measure reported 20.8 pounds per person in 2022 and growth of 38 percent from 1990 to 2022. Because these measures use different years and reported growth periods, they should be read as separate USDA figures rather than combined into one trend calculation.
The form of seafood consumed in the United States also changed. Fresh and frozen seafood rose from about 63 percent of per-capita consumption in 1990 to almost 80 percent in 2021. Canned seafood fell from a 35 percent share in 1990 to 18 percent in 2021. About 80 percent of all seafood consumed in the United States was estimated to come from imported products, according to the USDA ERS Seafood Consumption chart.
International trade in aquatic products reached USD 195 billion in 2022, according to FAO SOFIA 2024. The United States was among the top five importers of aquatic animal products, together with China, Japan, Spain, and France.
For 2024, USDA ERS Aquaculture reported that the European Union imported USD 32.1 billion of seafood products and the United States imported USD 25.5 billion. China exported more than USD 20.1 billion, while Norway exported USD 16.0 billion. The United States ranked tenth globally in seafood exports, with USD 4.9 billion, and U.S. seafood exports totaled USD 4.9 billion. The top five U.S. seafood export destinations accounted for 68 percent of exports. Canada, Chile, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam accounted for 52 percent of total U.S. seafood import expenditures.
NOAA’s SIMP Report to Congress FY 2023 recorded a decline in U.S. seafood imports from 4.8 billion kilograms in fiscal year 2022 to 2.4 billion kilograms in fiscal year 2023. Import value declined from about USD 25 billion to about USD 22 billion. Imports subject to the Seafood Import Monitoring Program declined from 1.2 billion kilograms to 773 million kilograms, while SIMP-covered import value fell from about USD 7.8 billion to about USD 6.4 billion. Shrimp and tuna made up approximately 75 percent of the quantity and value of SIMP products.
U.S. aquaculture
USDA NASS Census of Aquaculture data for 2023 put U.S. aquaculture sales at USD 1.9 billion across 3,453 farms with sales. Average sales per farm were USD 552,569. Five states accounted for 55 percent of U.S. aquaculture sales and 49 percent of U.S. aquaculture farms.
Food fish sales reached USD 819.6 million in 2023, up 14 percent from 2018. Mollusk sales reached USD 575.5 million, up 30 percent from 2018. Crustacean sales reached USD 175.7 million, up 75 percent. Ornamental fish sales increased 77 percent from 2018 to 2023.
Catfish sales were USD 480.0 million in 2023 and represented 59 percent of food fish sales. Oyster sales were USD 327.0 million and represented 57 percent of mollusk sales. The leading reported state totals were Mississippi at USD 277.0 million, Washington at USD 276.9 million, Louisiana at USD 195 million, Florida at USD 166 million, and Alabama at USD 132 million.
Additional state aquaculture sales reported by USDA NASS Census of Aquaculture were USD 119 million in California, USD 104 million in Virginia, USD 84 million in Arkansas, USD 71 million in Maine, and USD 65 million in Hawaii. These are 2023 sales figures, not production tonnage.
U.S. wild fisheries and management
NOAA Fisheries managed 506 stocks or stock complexes in 45 fishery management plans in 2023. The overfishing list contained 21 stocks, and the overfished list contained 47 stocks. NOAA Fisheries rebuilt its 50th stock in 2023.
Among the 506 stocks and stock complexes, 364 had a known overfishing status. Of those, 343 were not subject to overfishing in 2023. Among 263 stocks with a known overfished status, 216 were not overfished. For stocks most targeted by fishermen, 88 percent had a known overfishing status and 89 percent had a known overfished status. Approximately 94 percent of all stocks or complexes did not exceed their annual catch limits in 2023.
There were 48 stocks or stock complexes in rebuilding plans in 2023, including eight that were no longer overfished but remained in rebuilding plans. NOAA Fisheries completed 208 stock assessments in fiscal year 2023. These management figures describe status and monitoring, not the volume of seafood available to consumers.
U.S. commercial fishermen landed 8.4 billion pounds of seafood valued at USD 5.1 billion in 2023, according to NOAA Fisheries Fisheries of the United States. In 2022, commercial fishermen harvested over 8.3 billion pounds valued at USD 5.9 billion, according to NOAA Status of Stocks 2023. The different years and reported values should not be treated as a direct year-over-year comparison without additional context.
Jobs and economic impact
FAO SOFIA 2024 counted 61.8 million people employed in primary production in 2022. Asia accounted for 85 percent of those jobs, Africa for 10 percent, and Latin America and the Caribbean for 4 percent. Europe, Oceania, and Northern America together accounted for 1 percent.
U.S. recreational fishing added a substantial activity measure. NOAA Fisheries Fisheries of the United States reported more than 204 million recreational fishing trips in 2023. Recreational anglers caught an estimated 1.1 billion fish and released 65 percent of the fish they caught.
For 2022, NOAA Status of Stocks 2023 reported that saltwater angling generated USD 138 billion in sales impacts, USD 45.1 billion in income impacts, and USD 74.9 billion in value-added impacts. Marine recreational fishing supported 692,000 jobs across the broader economy.
The same NOAA source reported that U.S. commercial fisheries and the seafood industry generated USD 183.4 billion in sales impacts, USD 47.2 billion in income impacts, and USD 74 billion in value-added impacts in 2022. Together, these measures show how seafood activity extends beyond harvest value into processing, distribution, retail, services, and related employment.