Nearly Half of the United States Seafood Supply is Wasted

Americans can be wasteful, and their seafood industry proves it. Scientists have found that 47 percent of the edible U.S. seafood supply is wasted ever year, raising concerns about the sustainability of the world's seafood resources.

"If we're to eat significantly more seafood but the supply is severely threatened, it is critical and urgent to reduce waste of seafood," said David Love, one of the researchers, in a news release.

In this latest study, the scientists analyzed the food waste issue by focusing on the amount of seafood lost annually at each stage of the food supply chain and the consumer level. After compiling data from many sources, the researchers estimated the U.S. edible seafood supply at approximately 4.7 billion pounds per year, which includes domestic and imported products minus any exported products.

Some of the edible seafood is wasted as it moves from the supply chain from hook or net to plate. In the end, the researchers found that the amount wasted each year is roughly 2.3 billion pounds. Of that waste, 330 million pounds are lost in distribution and retail, 573 million pounds are lost when commercial fishers catch the wrong species of fish and then discard it, and a staggering 1.3 billion pounds are lost at consumer level.

The greatest portion of seafood loss occurs at the level of consumers, which accounts for 51 to 63 percent of waste. In total, the amount of seafood lost contains enough protein to fulfill the annual requirements for as many as 10 million men or 12 million women.

The findings reveal the importance of taking steps in order to reduce this waste. More specifically, it shows that bycatch should be left alive in the water rather than eating. In addition, prevention strategies should be implemented to limit bycatch in the first place.

The findings are published in the journal Global Environmental Change.

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