Seafood prices move differently at the grocery counter, fishing vessel, wholesale market, and farm gate. In August 2026, the U.S. city-average consumer price index (CPI) for fish and seafood was 6.5% above August 2025 and unchanged from July 2026. The figures below put that retail movement alongside swordfish price stages, Alaska commercial indicators, and farmed-fish sales benchmarks.
Contents
- U.S. retail seafood price changes
- Swordfish prices from harvest to retail
- Swordfish markups through the supply chain
- Alaska and national commercial seafood indicators
- U.S. farmed food-fish sales
- Catfish and trout price-per-pound benchmarks
U.S. retail seafood price changes
The latest retail figures in this set come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ CPI-U table for U.S. city consumers. In August 2026, fish and seafood prices were 6.5% higher than a year earlier and unchanged from July. The category’s subgroups did not move together, which matters when comparing a fresh fillet with frozen, processed, or shelf-stable products. (BLS, August 2026 CPI-U table)
Fresh fish and seafood prices were up 6.3% year over year in August 2026, but down 1.1% from July. Processed fish and seafood prices rose 6.8% year over year and 1.4% month over month. Shelf-stable fish and seafood increased 6.1% from August 2025 and was unchanged from July. Frozen fish and seafood recorded the largest annual increase among the listed groups, at 8.2%, while rising 2.4% in one month.
| U.S. retail category | Year-over-year change | Month-over-month change | Measurement period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fish and seafood | 6.5% | 0.0% | August 2026 |
| Fresh fish and seafood | 6.3% | -1.1% | August 2026 |
| Processed fish and seafood | 6.8% | 1.4% | August 2026 |
| Shelf-stable fish and seafood | 6.1% | 0.0% | August 2026 |
| Frozen fish and seafood | 8.2% | 2.4% | August 2026 |
An earlier comparison point shows a much smaller annual change. In May 2025, the CPI for fish and seafood was 1.2% above May 2024 and 0.9% above April 2025. Fresh fish and seafood rose 1.8% year over year and was unchanged month over month. Processed fish and seafood increased 0.6% year over year and 2.1% from April.
The May 2025 shelf-stable category was 2.6% below its year-earlier level but 1.0% above April. Frozen fish and seafood was 5.0% higher year over year and 4.0% higher month over month. These are separate CPI measurement periods, so they show category movement at each date rather than a continuous price series for a particular product. (BLS, May 2025 CPI-U table)
Swordfish prices from harvest to retail
Swordfish illustrates how a seafood price can change across three points in the chain. The Atlantic ex-vessel price is the amount associated with the fish as it leaves the vessel. The large, whole Mid-Atlantic FOB figure is a wholesale price, while fresh, unprepared retail swordfish is a consumer-facing benchmark. NOAA’s 2023 HMS Fisheries Economic Situation Report provides the series. (NOAA, 2023 HMS Fisheries Economic Situation Report)
The Atlantic swordfish ex-vessel price increased from $4.10 per pound in 2018 to $4.32 in 2019, $4.65 in 2020, $5.26 in 2021, and $5.47 in 2022. The 2023 figure was $5.60 per pound, but it covers January through July only. That partial-year scope should not be treated as a full-year 2023 average.
The corresponding large, whole Mid-Atlantic FOB wholesale prices were $6.37 per pound in 2018, $6.21 in 2019, and $6.05 in 2020. The benchmark rose to $6.75 in 2021 and $7.27 in 2022. For January through July 2023, it was $6.59 per pound.
Fresh, unprepared retail swordfish cost $11.04 per pound in 2018 and $11.65 in 2019. The retail benchmark was $11.80 in 2020, $11.66 in 2021, and $12.92 in 2022. It reached $13.09 per pound for January through July 2023. Because the 2023 observations cover only January through July, comparisons with full-year observations from 2018 through 2022 require caution.
Swordfish markups through the supply chain
The same NOAA report also describes markups between swordfish price stages. The ex-vessel-to-wholesale markup was 55% in 2018, 44% in 2019, 30% in 2020, and 28% in 2021. These percentages describe the relationship between the vessel-level and wholesale benchmarks, not a restaurant margin or a consumer’s total seafood spending.
For January through July 2023, the wholesale-to-retail swordfish markup was 99%. The report gives an overall average ex-vessel-to-retail markup of 147% for the 2018–2023 data. The source’s period labels matter: the 2023 swordfish price observations cover January through July, while the earlier annual observations cover full calendar years.
The price levels make the stages visible without treating them as interchangeable. In 2022, the ex-vessel benchmark was $5.47 per pound, the FOB wholesale benchmark was $7.27, and the fresh, unprepared retail benchmark was $12.92. For January through July 2023, the same three levels were $5.60, $6.59, and $13.09 per pound, respectively. A retail price therefore reflects more than the initial payment associated with the catch.
Alaska and national commercial seafood indicators
Alaska’s commercial seafood indicators show why catch volume and price can point in different directions. The Alaska Seafood Snapshot expected the statewide weighted-average real ex-vessel seafood price to fall 38% in 2023 versus 2022, to about $0.242 per pound in 2022 dollars. The projected 2023 ex-vessel revenue decline was $617 million, or 32.3% below 2022, despite landings rising 9%. These are expectations and comparisons for 2023 versus 2022, not a general forecast for every seafood species or market. (NOAA, Alaska Seafood Snapshot)
For Alaska FMP groundfish, catch totaled 2.03 million metric tons in 2023. Ex-vessel value totaled $858.65 million, while the aggregate real ex-vessel price decreased 21% to $0.20 per pound in 2023. The groundfish figures cover the Alaska FMP groundfish sector and should not be substituted for the statewide weighted-average seafood price. (NOAA, Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation Report)
At the national level, NOAA reported 8.4 billion pounds of U.S. commercial edible and industrial fishery products valued at $5.1 billion in 2023. The national total includes edible and industrial products, so it is broader than a grocery-store seafood price index or a single species’ ex-vessel value. (NOAA, Commercial Fishing: Status of U.S. Fisheries)
U.S. farmed food-fish sales
Aquaculture adds another price context because sales values represent farmed production categories rather than wild-catch landing prices. U.S. food-fish aquaculture sales totaled $819.556 million in 2023. The USDA table also reports species-level comparisons with 2018. (USDA NASS, Food Fish Sales by Species)
U.S. tilapia aquaculture sales totaled $51.247 million in 2023, compared with $39.395 million in 2018. Trout sales totaled $134.114 million in 2023, compared with $116.704 million in 2018. Other-food-fish aquaculture sales totaled $13.897 million in 2023, compared with $16.029 million in 2018.
Catfish was the largest named food-fish category in the supplied USDA results. Catfish sales were valued at $480.0 million and accounted for 59% of U.S. food-fish sales in 2023. The percentage is a share of the 2023 food-fish sales context, while the dollar total is reported as $480.0 million. (USDA, 2023 Census of Aquaculture results)
Catfish and trout price-per-pound benchmarks
The 2023 USDA aquaculture benchmarks distinguish foodsize fish from trout stockers and show substantial variation among states. U.S. foodsize catfish averaged $1.25 per pound. U.S. trout foodsize averaged $2.27 per pound, while trout stockers averaged $4.46 per pound. These are 2023 average prices per pound for the reported aquaculture categories, not retail menu prices. (USDA NASS, Catfish and Trout Production and Sales)
| 2023 aquaculture benchmark | Average price per pound |
|---|---|
| U.S. foodsize catfish | $1.25 |
| U.S. trout foodsize | $2.27 |
| U.S. trout stockers | $4.46 |
| Colorado trout foodsize | $3.58 |
| Connecticut trout foodsize | $3.54 |
| Florida trout foodsize | $4.00 |
| Georgia trout foodsize | $4.61 |
| Michigan trout foodsize | $4.60 |
| Minnesota trout foodsize | $2.29 |
| Nebraska trout foodsize | $6.55 |
State averages ranged from $2.29 per pound for Minnesota trout foodsize to $6.55 for Nebraska trout foodsize among the listed locations. Colorado averaged $3.58, Connecticut $3.54, Florida $4.00, Georgia $4.61, and Michigan $4.60 per pound. These state observations are not a national retail average; they are reported foodsize trout benchmarks for 2023.
Taken together, the measures answer different seafood-price questions. The CPI shows how U.S. city consumers experienced changes across retail categories. Swordfish data follows one species from ex-vessel through wholesale to retail. Alaska and national commercial indicators describe landings, catch, revenue, and broad fishery value. Aquaculture tables show farmed-fish sales and reported per-pound benchmarks. Keeping those definitions and measurement periods separate is essential when interpreting seafood prices.