Seafood restaurants sit at the intersection of a large foodservice economy and a supply chain that depends heavily on imports. In 2023, U.S. per-capita seafood consumption was 19.1 pounds, while an estimated 80% of the seafood Americans ate came from foreign imports (NOAA Fisheries, Fisheries of the United States 2023). Restaurant menu data also shows broad, though changing, availability: fish appeared on about 75% of U.S. restaurant menus and shellfish on about 68% in 2024 (SeafoodSource citing Datassential).
Contents
- Seafood’s place in the restaurant market
- How often consumers choose seafood
- What restaurant menus reveal
- Where the U.S. seafood supply comes from
- Commercial landings and leading species
- Aquaculture, imports, and exports
- Sourcing information and local demand
Seafood’s place in the restaurant market
The overall restaurant market provides important context for seafood-focused operators. The National Restaurant Association projected nationwide restaurant-industry sales of $1.55 trillion in 2026, with real sales growth of 1.3%. Operators expected to add about 100,000 jobs, bringing projected restaurant-industry employment to 15.8 million (National Restaurant Association, State of the Restaurant Industry 2026).
The association’s national statistics, based on 2022 data and expressed in 2024 dollars, estimated that eating and drinking places directly contributed $1.4 trillion in output. Those businesses directly employed 14.2 million people and generated $472.4 billion in total labor income. Including the total-impact estimate, the restaurant and foodservice industry contributed $3.5 trillion in output, supported 22.9 million employees, and generated $1.1 trillion in total labor income (National Restaurant Association, National Statistics).
Seafood is present across this broad industry rather than being limited to dedicated seafood restaurants. A 2019 study of the top 250 U.S. chain restaurants found that 64% sold seafood. That represented 159 chains and 112,044 branch locations, or 53% of the sampled chain locations ( Nutrition and origin of US chain restaurant seafood). The figures describe chain restaurants in the 2019 sample, so they should not be read as a current census of every U.S. restaurant.
How often consumers choose seafood
Several consumer studies point to recurring seafood demand, but their populations, locations, and measurement periods differ. A NOAA consumer study found that 96% of respondents consumed seafood, and almost two-thirds ate seafood at least once a week. The same study found that 63% chose a store or restaurant as their first or second seafood source (NOAA Technical Memorandum CRCP 30).
In a Gulf-southeast seafood consumer study, the average respondent consumed seafood once per week. Seafood was consumed at home slightly less than once per week, while respondents ordered seafood 50% to 75% of the time when dining out. Seventy-one percent said their seafood consumption had increased over the previous five years. In that study, price was the primary reason consumers did not eat seafood more often at home or order it more often in restaurants (FLSGP-W-90-001 C2SGR-105, Tropical and Subtropical Fisheries).
The regional surveys show similar demand with different thresholds. More than two-thirds of respondents in a Connecticut seafood survey ate seafood at least twice a month ( The Connecticut Seafood Survey). In New Hampshire, over three-quarters of respondents ate seafood at least three times per month ( Consumer and Retailer Demand for Local Seafood).
Oysters have a substantial occasional-consumer base. In a NOAA consumer survey, 43% of respondents consumed oysters at least occasionally, and the average oyster consumer ate oysters 2.6 times per month ( Opinions Of U.S. Consumers Toward Oysters).
The CDC’s recent consumption brief used a 30-day food-frequency questionnaire in NHANES during August 2021 to August 2023. In that analysis, adults reporting seafood eight or more times per month were counted as eating seafood at least twice a week (CDC NCHS Data Brief 538). This definition is an analytical threshold, not a claim that every seafood meal occurred at a restaurant.
What restaurant menus reveal
Menu coverage is widespread, but the 2024 data indicates a decline from 2020 levels. Fish menu penetration was around 75% of U.S. restaurant menus in 2024, down 4% from 2020. Shellfish menu penetration was around 68%, down 3% from 2020 (SeafoodSource citing Datassential).
The year-over-year movement was mixed. Shellfish menu prevalence grew 3% in 2024, driven mainly by shrimp. Fish dishes fell 3% year over year, while other seafood dishes rose 1% (Saving Seafood citing Circana). These measures describe menu prevalence or dish counts, not restaurant sales or customer visits.
The 2019 chain study provides a useful view of menu breadth by restaurant segment:
| Restaurant segment | Average seafood species | Average seafood menu items |
|---|---|---|
| Quick-service | 2.6 | 8.0 |
| Fast-casual | 2.3 | 9.1 |
| Casual dining | 6.4 | 23.1 |
| Fine dining | 8.0 | 16.6 |
Source: Nutrition and origin of US chain restaurant seafood, 2019 chain-restaurant study.
Shrimp was the most common seafood item served at chain restaurants in that study. The difference between species counts and menu-item counts matters: a restaurant can use a relatively small set of species across multiple preparations. Casual-dining chains averaged 23.1 seafood menu items despite averaging 6.4 seafood species, while fine-dining chains averaged 16.6 items and 8.0 species ( Nutrition and origin of US chain restaurant seafood).
Where the U.S. seafood supply comes from
NOAA Fisheries reported approximately 8.4 million pounds of U.S. commercial seafood landings in 2023, valued at $5.1 billion. The North Pacific accounted for 62.5% of landings, followed by the Gulf of America at 15.0%, the Pacific at 10.2%, the Mid-Atlantic at 5.9%, New England at 4.9%, the South Atlantic at 1.2%, and the Western Pacific at 0.3% (NOAA Fisheries, Fisheries of the United States 2023).
The regional distribution is concentrated rather than even:
| Region | Share of 2023 U.S. commercial landings |
|---|---|
| North Pacific | 62.5% |
| Gulf of America | 15.0% |
| Pacific | 10.2% |
| Mid-Atlantic | 5.9% |
| New England | 4.9% |
| South Atlantic | 1.2% |
| Western Pacific | 0.3% |
Source: NOAA Fisheries, Fisheries of the United States 2023.
Dutch Harbor, Alaska, held the top U.S. seafood port for volume for the 26th consecutive year. New Bedford, Massachusetts, ranked first in catch value for the 23rd consecutive year. The leading commercial species groups by catch value included crabs, lobsters, Alaska pollock, salmon, and sea scallops (NOAA Fisheries, Fisheries of the United States 2023).
Recreational fishing adds another dimension to the seafood picture. Anglers took more than 204 million saltwater fishing trips in 2023 and caught an estimated 1.1 billion fish. They released 65% of their catch. Yellowfin tuna was the top harvested species by weight, scup was the top harvested species by number of fish, and Atlantic croaker was the top species by total catch including harvested and released fish (NOAA Fisheries, Fisheries of the United States 2023).
Aquaculture, imports, and exports
Marine and freshwater farmers produced an estimated 688 million pounds of seafood in 2023, with U.S. aquaculture production valued at $1.3 billion. Aquaculture represented 25% of the value of U.S. seafood products. The leading farmed species groups were oysters, clams, Atlantic salmon, red drum, and shrimp (NOAA Fisheries, Fisheries of the United States 2023).
Marine shellfish aquaculture value and volume were distributed differently across regions. The Atlantic accounted for 46% of value and 39% of volume. The Gulf of America accounted for 31% of value and 44% of volume. The Pacific accounted for 23% of value and 17% of volume (NOAA Fisheries, Fisheries of the United States 2023).
U.S. domestic production of edible fishery products was valued at $12 billion in 2023, while industrial fishery products were valued at $745.5 million. The highest-value processed fishery species were Pacific pollock, sockeye salmon, tuna, cod, and Atlantic salmon (NOAA Fisheries, Fisheries of the United States 2023).
The United States imported 6.3 billion pounds of edible seafood products in 2023 and exported 2.5 billion pounds. Top U.S. seafood import partners included Canada, Chile, India, Indonesia, and Ecuador. Top export markets included Canada, China, Japan, South Korea, and the Netherlands (NOAA Fisheries, Fisheries of the United States 2023).
Sourcing information and local demand
Restaurant customers may encounter limited sourcing detail on menus. In the 2019 chain-restaurant seafood study, only 4% of seafood menu items listed production-method information, and only 18% of U.S. chain restaurants reported production-method information for at least one seafood menu item. Geographic origin information appeared on only 6% of seafood menu items, while one-third of U.S. chain restaurants reported geographic origin for at least one seafood menu item ( Nutrition and origin of US chain restaurant seafood).
Consumer preferences in the New Hampshire survey suggest that freshness, convenience, and locality can matter together. Eighty-nine percent preferred fresh filleted seafood, 53% said they would purchase shellfish if it were peeled and ready to cook, and nearly 80% said purchasing local seafood was very important. Respondents said they would pay $2.25 more per pound for known seafood species if locally caught ( Consumer and Retailer Demand for Local Seafood).
One Louisiana policy change made origin information especially relevant to restaurant menus. A Louisiana seafood labeling law required restaurants to provide seafood origin on menus starting January 1, 2025 ( Louisiana Seafood Label NOI). This date marks the stated start of the requirement; the supplied source does not quantify compliance or its effect on restaurant demand.