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Marine Advisory Program

Seafood Education

The United States ranks third in world seafood consumption, just behind Japan and China. Annual per-capita seafood consumption in the  U.S. totaled 16.5 pounds in 2006. This increase is partially attributed to the publication of nutritional guidelines that encourage seafood consumption as part of a healthy diet. According to the National Marine Fisheries Service, we ate 4.9 billion pounds of seafood in 2006, with 83 percent of that being imported.

However, the general public and food-service professionals are often confused by media reports and misinformation on seafood safety, quality, and availability. Consumers need a reliable and current source of information on these and other seafood topics. The VIMS Marine Advisory Program's Seafood Education efforts help to meet this need by communicating current research information on seafood in an interesting, useful, and timely manner through workshops and seminars, cooking demonstrations, professional development programs for chefs, and this website.