This is the age of seafood. Foodable Labs, in its 2018 Protein Sourcing Report, noted an 81.3 percent increase in positive social-media mentions of seafood year-over-year. The 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer shows the public trusting fishermen, alongside much-loved farmers, as food producers. Finally, fish as a functional food is bubbling up as a unique source of DHA and EPA, long-chain omega-3s, the silver bullet for human disease and suffering.
The U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend Americans eat 8 ounces of seafood per week, to help reduce their risk of heart disease, certain types of cancer and obesity. Just two years ago, the estimated U.S. per capita consumption of fish and shellfish was only 14.9 pounds ($93.2 billion) (NOAA) instead of the recommended 26. With 44 percent of consumers experimenting with various eating plans, many of which favor seafood as a complete source of protein, consumption is projected to increase. 2018 Nielsen reports: “Taste and health are still primary drivers of seafood purchase behavior.”