Buying seafood can be surprisingly confusing. A display case may contain local catches, imported products, farm-raised seafood, wild-caught options, previously frozen fish, and products that have traveled thousands of miles before reaching the store. Labels provide some information, but consumers often need to ask a few questions to understand what they are actually buying.
That matters in a country with a large and complex seafood supply. NOAA Fisheries estimates that Americans ate 19.1 pounds of seafood per person in 2023 and that roughly 80% of the seafood consumed in the United States that year came from foreign imports. U.S. commercial fishermen, meanwhile, landed approximately 8.4 billion pounds of seafood worth $5.1 billion in 2023.
Victor Daniel Silva knows the other end of that supply chain. A commercial fisherman based along the Louisiana Gulf Coast, Silva grew up fishing with his father in Beaufort, North Carolina, before moving to Louisiana and building a career in shrimping and crabbing. His experience gives him a practical perspective on what happens before seafood reaches a market or restaurant.
His first piece of advice is simple: start asking questions.
“If I were standing at a seafood counter, the first thing I’d ask is where it came from,” Silva says. “The second thing I’d ask is what’s local right now. Those two questions tell you more than most people realize.”
1. Find Out Where the Seafood Came From
A package of shrimp may look straightforward, but its journey can be anything but simple.
Seafood sold in the United States comes from fisheries and farms around the world. NOAA reports that the United States imported 6.3 billion pounds of edible seafood products in 2023. Leading import partners included Canada, Chile, India, Indonesia, and Ecuador.
For shoppers who care about origin, Silva recommends asking rather than assuming.
“People sometimes see shrimp in Louisiana and assume they’re looking at Louisiana shrimp,” he says. “That isn’t necessarily true. There’s nothing wrong with asking the person behind the counter where they came from.”
Origin can also provide a starting point for learning about how a product was harvested or raised. Consumers who want more information can ask whether seafood is domestic or imported, wild-caught or farm-raised, and whether the seller knows the specific region where it originated.
The goal is not to turn a grocery trip into an investigation. It is to make an informed purchase.
2. Understand That Seafood Has Seasons
Consumers have become accustomed to seeing the same foods throughout the year. Seafood does not always work that way.
Commercial fisheries operate within seasons, regulations, environmental conditions, and natural biological cycles. Weather can also keep fishermen at the dock even when a species would otherwise be available.
Silva has experienced that uncertainty throughout his career.
“You can check everything the night before and think you’ll be fishing in the morning, then wake up and realize the weather has changed the plan,” he says. “If several boats lose a few days on the water, people farther down the chain may eventually notice that too.”
That is why asking “What’s local right now?” can be more useful than walking into a market looking for one particular species.
Consumers may discover something they have never cooked before. A seafood counter or local market can also explain which products are commonly available during different parts of the year.
“Being flexible is probably the best approach,” Silva says. “If what you originally wanted isn’t available locally, ask what is.”
3. Know What “Fresh” Actually Looks Like
“Fresh” is one of the most powerful words at a seafood counter, but consumers should look beyond the sign.
The FDA recommends buying fish only when it is refrigerated or displayed on a thick bed of fresh ice. Fish should smell fresh and mild rather than strongly fishy, sour, or ammonia-like. Fresh fillets should have firm flesh without drying or darkening around the edges. Shrimp, scallops, and lobster should have little or no odor.
Silva says smell is one of the first things he notices.
“People expect seafood to have a strong seafood smell, but good shrimp shouldn’t knock you backward when you get near them,” he says. “If something smells wrong, I wouldn’t try to talk myself into buying it because the price looks good.”
Previously frozen seafood should not automatically be considered inferior, either. The FDA notes that fish sold as previously frozen may not display all the visual characteristics associated with never-frozen fish, but it should still smell fresh and mild.
Frozen seafood also deserves a quick inspection. The FDA advises avoiding torn or damaged packages and watching for excessive frost or ice crystals, which can indicate extended storage or thawing and refreezing.
4. Don’t Assume Local Seafood Is Available Every Day
Buying locally caught seafood can connect consumers more closely with regional food systems, but local fishermen cannot produce seafood on demand.
Weather alone can disrupt plans quickly.
Silva remembers plenty of mornings when the correct business decision was not to fish.
“There have been days when everything was loaded and ready, but I didn’t like what I was seeing in the conditions,” he says. “You have expenses tied up in that day, so staying in isn’t something you do casually. At the same time, you’re not going to make the weather cooperate because somebody wants fresh shrimp that afternoon.”
That unpredictability is one reason local availability changes.
Consumers interested in local seafood should ask markets and restaurants what is currently available rather than expecting every regional species to be offered throughout the year.
5. Remember That the Boat Is Only the Beginning
One of the biggest misconceptions about commercial fishing is that a fisherman catches seafood and simply hands it directly to the consumer.
The actual supply chain can involve considerably more.
Depending on the product and market, seafood can move from a fishing vessel through docks, dealers, processors, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, and restaurants. Throughout that journey, temperature and handling matter.
The FDA recommends refrigerating or freezing seafood soon after purchase. Seafood intended for use within two days should be stored at 40°F or below; otherwise, the FDA recommends tightly wrapping and freezing it.
Silva says consumers rarely see how much work goes into seafood before it reaches them.
“When my wife Marisol cooks shrimp at home, everybody sees the finished meal,” he says. “I sometimes think about where those shrimp were that morning. Between the water and that plate, somebody had to catch them, handle them properly, bring them back, unload them, and keep them cold. There’s a whole chain behind a pretty simple dinner.”
Ask Three Questions Before You Buy
For consumers who do not want to memorize seafood regulations or study every species at the counter, Silva recommends reducing the process to three questions:
Where did it come from? What is local right now? What is in season?
Those questions will not tell consumers everything, but they can start a useful conversation with a fishmonger, seafood market, or restaurant.
Consumers should also use their senses and basic food-safety practices. Look at the condition of the seafood and its packaging, pay attention to odor, keep purchases cold on the way home, and refrigerate or freeze them promptly.
“You don’t need to know everything fishermen know to buy good seafood,” Silva says. “You just need to be curious enough to ask a few questions.”
In an industry that stretches from small Gulf Coast docks to an international seafood trade measured in billions of pounds, a little curiosity can go a long way. Knowing where seafood comes from, understanding why availability changes, and recognizing the signs of proper handling can turn an ordinary trip to the seafood counter into a much more informed purchase.
