Amid a steady stream of health reports about the benefits and risks of seafood consumption, Americans are eating more than ever before. In fact, seafood consumption in the United States hit a record 16.6 pounds per capita in 2004, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Fisheries Service, an increase of 12.2 percent since 2001.
Overall, seafood consumption totaled a record 4.8 billion pounds for 2004, making the U.S. the nation with the third-highest per capita consumption of seafood worldwide, behind Japan and China.
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Americans raised their level of seafood consumption for the third year in a row amid an ongoing national discussion about the relative risks and rewards of eating seafood. The influx of information may be difficult to parse for the typical consumer, said Stacey Viera, spokeswoman for the National Fisheries Institute, the nation’s leading advocacy organization for the seafood industry.
“People are hearing both messages and sometimes it can be confusing,” Viera said. “The more we have the opportunity to talk to people about how to have a balanced diet and a lifestyle that includes healthy fish, the better.”
In March 2004, the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency issued the most recent in a series of advisories on the risks of high mercury levels in some types of fish. In a joint statement, the agencies warned that mercury levels in swordfish, shark, king mackerel, albacore tuna and tilefish may be unsafe for pregnant women, nursing mothers and young children.
At the same time, the federal government last year unveiled new dietary guidelines that recommend at least two servings of fish or seafood per week – more than the average American currently eats.
The guidelines specifically mention the health benefits of cold-water, fatty fishes such as salmon, trout and sardines, which are especially high in omega 3 fatty acids. A growing body of science associates omega 3 with a lowered risk of heart attack and improved mood and cognitive functioning.
Despite all the news reports, there is no discernable correlation with national trends in seafood consumption, said Liz Pritchard, a NOAA fisheries specialist. For many years, a handful of popular seafood varieties have held their niche atop the retail and wholesale markets regardless of news about their particular health benefits or risks, Pritchard said.
Shrimp continued to lead seafood consumption in 2004, at 4.2 pounds per capita, followed by canned tuna (3.3 pounds), salmon (2.1 pounds), pollock (1.2 pounds) and catfish (1.1 pounds).
A survey conducted last summer by the Rhode Island Department of Health, Rhode Island Food Dealers Association, Shaw’s and Stop & Shop to assess consumers’ knowledge of mercury in fish found that the recent spate of news about the issue has not had much of an effect on people’s behavior.
The survey consisted of 11 questions and targeted consumers at eight Shaw’s and Stop & Shop supermarkets in Rhode Island, asking, among other questions, if respondents were aware that fish was good for their health, if they knew about mercury in fish and its potential to cause health problems. Most respondents said they have learned about high mercury levels in fish from media sources such as TV, newspapers or magazines.
“We found that people knew about the issue of mercury, and it didn’t change their consumption patterns,” said Anita San Antonio, president and CEO of the state food dealers association.
Those results appear to mirror attitudes toward fish consumption nationally, San Antonio said. But they also reflect the reality that consumers in Rhode Island have an overwhelmingly positive association with seafood, she said.
There are no statewide statistics for seafood consumption, but anecdotal evidence suggests that Rhode Islanders eat more seafood than the national average, according to several people in the local seafood industry.
“It’s coastal New England. You’re going to see more of it here. It’s cultural,” said Casey Riley, corporate chef for the Newport Harbor Corporation and executive chef at the Castle Hill Inn & Resort in Newport. “I grew up in New Mexico, and we didn’t eat seafood.”
Guests who eat in Castle Hill’s formal dining room are knowledgeable about seafood and consume a lot of it, Riley said. Sales of seafood at Castle Hill shot up 30 percent in 2005, causing a corresponding drop in beef sales. Venison and lamb sales stayed the same, Riley said.
Seafood sales have not been affected by an advisory posted in Castle Hill’s menu that says fish contain mercury, Riley said. At the same time, the restaurant serves only wild fish following news reports about the inferior quality of some farm-raised fish, he said.
