--- title: Food Waste: Americans Throw Away Half of Seafood Supply description: Nearly half of the edible seafood in the United States goes to waste as result of inefficiencies and consumer refuse, according to new research. canonical: https://time.com/4046295/seafood-waste/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-09-23T16:04:13.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:57:42.110Z article:section: Health og:title: Food Waste: Americans Throw Away Half of Seafood Supply og:description: Nearly half of the edible seafood in the United States goes to waste as result of inefficiencies and consumer refuse, according to new research. og:url: https://time.com/4046295/seafood-waste/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5b0399d200ffc986/69886501cf40a8204bc3fd7a/gettyimages-523418309.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4912 og:image:height: 2763 og:image:alt: 523418309 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Food Waste: Americans Throw Away Half of Seafood Supply twitter:description: Nearly half of the edible seafood in the United States goes to waste as result of inefficiencies and consumer refuse, according to new research. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5b0399d200ffc986/69886501cf40a8204bc3fd7a/gettyimages-523418309.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why Half of Edible Seafood Is Wasted > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=de512a3b-7a9b-458e-8fa9-f79310ffb381&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Should I Eat Tilapia? [Watch (HLS stream): Should I Eat Tilapia?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/skJVWWc5.m3u8) (1:22)  _Published 2015-06-03. Tilapia is a fine fish to put on your dish, say all five of our experts._  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Sep 23, 2015 4:04 PM UTC  Raw Oysters Raw Oysters Getty Images  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Sep 23, 2015 4:04 PM UTC Almost half of the edible seafood in the United States goes to waste as result of inefficiencies and consumer refuse, according to new [research](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959378015300340). The study, published in the journal _Global Environmental Change_, suggests that consumers discard 1.3 billion pounds annually, fishers throw away 570 million pounds when they catch the wrong species and 330 pounds are lost during distribution. The total edible seafood supply is about 4.7 billion pounds per year. U.S. [dietary guidelines](http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/sites/default/files/dietary%5Fguidelines%5Ffor%5Famericans/PolicyDoc.pdf) recommend that most Americans increase their seafood intake. The wasted fish contains enough protein to meet the requirements of more than 10 million people each year, according to the study. “If we’re told to eat significantly more seafood but the supply is severely threatened, it is critical and urgent to reduce waste of seafood,” study leader David Love, a Johns Hopkins University researcher, said in a statement. The news follows recent attention by the public and policymakers to the scale of food waste in the U.S. Last week, the federal government [announced plans](http://time.com/4037087/food-waste-united-states/) to cut food waste in half by 2030. “Let’s feed people, not landfills,” EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said in a statement. **Read More:** [Should I Eat Salmon?](http://time.com/3984098/salmon-omega/) ## Transcript [00:01] People like tilapia for its bland, mild flavor, which is [00:04] exactly why other people avoid it. But when it comes to [00:08] healthy eating, all five of our experts say tilapia is a [00:11] fine fish to put on your dish. The freshwater fish is the [00:15] second most popular farmed fish on the planet and it [00:18] can be used in virtually any fish recipe, says Kevin [00:21] Fitzsimmons. It's a great source of protein, with 23 [00:25] grams for every four ounce serving says Liz Knapp. [00:28] Just be aware that the fish also provides 56 milligrams [00:32] of cholesterol for every 4 ounces, which is 19 % of your [00:35] recommended daily value. It's so pervasive because [00:40] Tilapia takes to farming, well like a fish takes to water. [00:44] Tilapia can be raised in many different systems with [00:47] many different types of feeds and fertilizers, says [00:50] Aaron McNevin. That means two identical tilapia filets [00:53] may have had very different environmental impacts [00:56] before they ended up on your plate. Farmed tilapia [00:59] are easy to grow because they eat corn and soy. That [01:02] means tilapia have fairly high amounts of omega six [01:05] fatty acids. Which can lead to inflammation says Julia [01:08] Zumpanao. But is that a deal breaker? Not necessarily. [01:11] In the journal, Circulation, an advisory committee of [01:15] health experts concluded that higher dietary intakes of [01:18] omega six are safe. 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