FIGURE 2-1 Trends in US consumption of total fishery products, by type (boneless, trimmed [edible] weight), in pounds per capita per year, 1909–2003. Figures are calculated on the basis of edible raw meat. Excludes edible offal, bones, and viscera for fishery products. Excludes game consumption for fishery product. Calculated from data not rounded.

SOURCE: ERS, 2004.

of the product is wasted at the household level. As shown in Figure 2-1, seafood consumption has increased since 1909, with notable exceptions during the Depression and the Second World War. In 2003, per capita seafood consumption was 16.3 pounds per person (Source: http://www.ers.usda.gov/data/foodconsumption/spreadsheet.mtfish.xls). As can be seen from Figure 2-1, the increase in seafood consumption results from an increase in consumption of fresh and frozen forms rather than canned and cured seafood.

There are several ways to consider the major types of seafood consumed, as shown in Tables 2-1 through 2-3. NMFS data are useful for