Americans consumed about 5 billion pounds of seafood or almost an extra pound of fish and shellfish per person in 2015, according to the annual Fisheries of the United States Report (latest data available at presstime) from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), making it the largest annual increase in seafood consumption in 20 years — and the second largest consumer of seafood in the world after China.
So, the average American ate 15.5 pounds of seafood in 2015, compared with 14.6 pounds in 2014. This extra 0.9 pounds of fish breaks down to 4.77 ounces of seafood a week or four extra meals a year. Not bad, but still a ways off the Dietary Guidelines recommendation of 8 ounces of seafood a week.