October is US National Seafood Month
In addition to the impressive dollar value of the US seafood industry to the US economy, it is also important to note that the industry provides some 250,000 jobs. Some other interesting numbers from the US seafood industry:
- Percentage of Americans who eat the recommended 2 servings of seafood per week: 20
- Percentage of women of child bearing age who eat the recommended 2 servings of seafood per week : 18
- Percentage of US fisheries that are considered to be managed sustainably: 81
- Pounds of fish eaten yearly per person in the United States: 16.2 (7.35 kg)
- Shrimp's rating among most eaten seafood in America: 1
- Percentage of seafood provided by aquaculture or fish farms: 43
- Amount of reduction of risk of dying of a heart attack by eating fish 1-2 times per week: 1/3
Other countries consume much more seafood per capita than the US. In Japan, each person eats an average of 146 pounds of seafood per year, in Iceland more than 200 pounds, and in the South Pacific islands of Tokelau, each person eats the average of over 400 pounds of seafood every year.
