Seafood in the United States: the sector and its suppliers

Landings and main ports

Dutch Harbor, Alaska, was the leading US port by volume for the 26th consecutive year in 2024, and New Bedford, Massachusetts, led by value for the 24th consecutive year, driven mainly by the sea scallop fishery (NOAA Fisheries, preliminary 2024 data). In 2023, New Bedford landed 76.9 million pounds worth $363 million (Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries).

Leading states

Alaska is by far the largest producer: its fisheries land about 5 billion pounds of wild seafood a year, worth $1.5 billion to fishermen (annual averages for 2023 and 2024, Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute). In 2023, Maine ranked second among US states by value and Massachusetts third, with $574 million from 156 million pounds (Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries). In 2024, Maine's landings reached $709.5 million, of which lobster accounted for $528.4 million (Maine Department of Marine Resources). Louisiana's 2024 landings included 60.1 million pounds of shrimp, 39.8 million pounds of blue crab and 6.9 million pounds of oyster meat (Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries).

States listed in the SeaMatch directory in the United States: Alabama, Alaska, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin.

Main species

In 2023, crabs ($703 million) and lobsters ($699 million) were the most valuable US species groups, followed by Alaska pollock ($524 million) and salmon ($453 million) (NOAA Fisheries). In Alaska, pollock makes up about 60% of the harvest by volume, and by value salmon (31%), pollock (29%), halibut and sablefish (10%), crab (10%) and Pacific cod (9%) lead (Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, 2023–2024 averages).

What buyers look for

• Wild-caught fish: Alaska pollock, salmon, Pacific cod, halibut and sablefish.
• Shellfish: lobsters, crabs, sea scallops, shrimp and oysters.
• Imported products: shrimp, salmon, tuna and fish fillets from Canada, Chile, India, Ecuador and Indonesia.

The United States in international trade

In 2024, the United States imported 6.4 billion pounds of edible seafood worth $25 billion and exported 2.3 billion pounds worth $4.4 billion. Per capita consumption was 18.4 pounds (NOAA Fisheries). In 2025, the United States was the world's second-largest seafood importer by value, behind the European Union (USDA Economic Research Service), and its leading suppliers were Canada ($4.26 billion), Chile ($2.90 billion), India ($2.61 billion), Ecuador ($1.97 billion) and Indonesia ($1.85 billion) (Mississippi State University Extension).

New York was the largest US seafood port of entry in 2024, with about 643,000 metric tons worth $5.2 billion, followed by the Los Angeles customs district with about 565,000 tons worth $4.1 billion, where shrimp ($1.4 billion) and salmon ($628 million) were the leading products (Undercurrent News).

How to find seafood suppliers, buyers and products in the United States

SeaMatch lists 385 US companies from public sources. SeaMatch serves suppliers, buyers, importers and distributors looking for seafood products. The public directory shows each company's name and city. With a free account, you can filter companies by region. With a free account, you can contact the companies registered on SeaMatch.

Frequently asked questions