US has potential to achieve seafood independence

From lobster to haddock and seaweed, seafood plays an important role in the US economy, diet and culture. The nation is one of the top producers of marine and aquatic foods worldwide, but also the second largest seafood importer.

Through extensive data analysis and calculations, University of Maine researchers have found that the US could achieve seafood independence, or meet its entire seafood needs, through its own production. But, according to their new study in the academic journal Ocean Sustainability, published by Nature, “achieving greater seafood independence would require shifts in consumer behaviour, investments in infrastructure and continual adaptation in the face of climate change.” 

Becoming seafood independent offers opportunities for the US to improve dietary outcomes, as well as individual and national food security, particularly against disruptions in global supply chains, according to the research team. Despite its capacity to rely solely on the seafood that it produces, the nation exports the majority of it and imports 80 to 90 percent of the seafood that Americans consume. 

“There is a tendency to forget that seafood is an integral part of the nation’s food system, but achieving greater seafood independence can improve equity, health and buffers from climate change,” said Joshua Stoll, Associate Professor of Marine Policy at the University of Maine, who co-authored the study with postdoctoral research fellow Sahir Advani and Ph.D. student Tolulope Oyikeke.

Researchers conducted the study using 50 years of consumption and production data, from 1970 to 2021, for the nation and its seven regions as classified by the US Regional Fishery Management Council. Those regions are New England, the Gulf of Mexico, the mid-Atlantic, the south Atlantic, Alaska, the West Coast, Hawaii and other states. Based on that data, the team determined the extent to which the nation and its regions could meet their seafood demand through their own production, with 100 percent indicating the potential for complete seafood independence. 

National seafood consumption, particularly of fish and other non-shellfish species, has increased over the past century alongside population growth and shifts in culinary preferences, but not enough to pass the overall uptick in production. Per capita consumption rose from 11.7 to 20.3 pounds, according to researchers. Producers, however, have reached a mean annual production volume of 7.5 billion pounds, which could yield 21.4 pounds of food per capita.   

Despite the high production volume, the US most recently could meet only 76 percent of its seafood demand with its own supply between 2012 and 2021. That metric, akin to seafood self-reliance, and the ability to achieve independence fluctuated over the past 50 years, from a low of 59 percent to a high of 110 percent, according to researchers. The disparity between actual seafood self-reliance and the ability to increase it comes from using much of what is harvested for global exports or as bait fish for more profitable species.

“As we strive to enhance our seafood self-reliance, we have the potential to reassess our consumption of harvested species. By focusing on species like herring, anchovy and other less widely consumed species over those that we export or use for bait, we can tap into their exceptional nutritional value, rich in omega-3 fatty acids and essential nutrients. This shift would not only strengthen our domestic seafood supply, but also contribute to a more sustainable, affordable and health-conscious food system,” said Oyikeke.

US potential to achieve seafood independence is driven primarily by Alaska, home to two-thirds of the nation’s annual seafood harvest for the past three decades. With the ability to meet 27,000 percent of its regional seafood demand with a production that peaked at about 6 billion pounds in 2015, it proves to be the most self-sufficient region. The Mid-Atlantic region, however, is the least self-sufficient, only capable of meeting seven percent of its seafood demand through the half-century.    

New England was the third most self-sufficient region in the country from 1971 to 2021. Its capacity for self-reliance fluctuated over the years, peaking in 1979 with the ability to meet 179 percent of its seafood demand. Since then, however, its self-sufficiency plummeted to only being able to meet 36 percent of its demand through its own production in 2021 “due to historic overfishing, catch regulations and the increasing total per capita consumption,” according to the study.  

“It is hard to predict what will happen in the future, but ongoing efforts to restore fisheries in the Gulf of Maine and the nascent, but a burgeoning aquaculture sector may help to increase the potential for self-reliance in the future,” said Oyikeke.

While the US is capable of achieving seafood independence, researchers said its per capita consumption of 20.3 pounds falls short of the recommendations of the US Department of Health, which is 26.07 pounds.  

To increase self-reliance and better dietary outcomes, researchers said that the industry must work toward incentivising changes in consumer preferences, particularly incorporating fish that are typically only used as bait into their diets; as well as increasing shellfish production to meet current demand for these species by investing in small-scale community aquaculture.

They must also eliminate barriers to access experienced by historically marginalised populations and reshape infrastructure to better serve local and regional markets by investing in more cold storage, waterfront access and distribution networks. Additionally, researchers said that any actions taken should factor in the possible impacts of climate change.  

“As more attention is being given to the relationship between socioeconomic well-being, human health and food, now is the time to invest in increasing seafood self-reliance. Given current seafood production levels, doing this is not beyond reach,” said Stoll.