Pangasius sold at higher price than pollock in the US

According to the US Department of Commerce, basing on data from National Fisheries Institute (NFI), comparing with 2013, fish consumption per capita increased by 0.1 pound. According to NFI, 60% of seafood kinds showed increase in consumption and no change ranking order was seen. Top 10 seafood species accounted for nearly 97% of total seafood consumption  in the US. Tilapia and Alaska pollock were in the top 5 species most consumed.

Although pangasius and pollock are both in top 10 most consumed seafood in the US. Both experienced decline imports. Data from National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) showed that  in the first 11 months of 2014, the US imported 49,749 MT of pollock, worth US$ 135.03 million, down 7.33% year- on-year by weight and down 5.42% year-on-year  by value.

NMFS also revealed that the US imported 90,912 tons of pangasius from Vietnam this year, down 10.9% year on year. According to the Vietnam Customs, total pangasius exports to the US from 1^st  January 2014 to 15^th December 2014 worth US$ 316.29 million, down 13.2% year on year. 

US seafood consumption increased slightly. In particular, seafood consumption in 2013 upped  0.7% from 2012. Annual report of NFI illustrated that an average American consumed 14.5 pounds of seafood in 2013, up from 14.4 pounds of 2012. Average seafood consumption in the period 2001 to 2012 was 15.7 pounds / person.

Tilapia, haddock, cod were most imported whitefish species in 2014. Haddock had highest average price among all whitemeat fish, ranging from US$ 7.17 / kg to US$ 8.05 /kg. Alaskan pollock had the lowest average price, hovering around US$2.74 - US$2.91 / kg.