Seafood consumption

IBISWorld projects that per capita seafood consumption will rise 0.2% during 2025-26, climbing to 26.49 kilograms per capita. Health consciousness is expected to rise slightly during the year, encouraging some consumers to increase their demand for seafood, contributing to the overall rise in consumption. The volume of seafood produced by the Fishing and Aquaculture industry is expected to rise during the year, supporting increasing domestic consumption. The positive correlation between rising seafood production volumes and projected per capita seafood consumption underscores the Fishing and Aquaculture industry's robust response to growing market demand. Even so, the Quota Management System (QMS) caps catch volumes for specific fish and seafood species hampering the industry's ability to significantly boost seafood production volumes.

Seafood consumption has inched upwards over the past five years. This is attributable to several factors, key of which is an increase in health consciousness among domestic consumers. Fish and other seafood are generally considered a healthier option than other meat products, like red meat, as they are a leaner source of protein and other nutrients, such as omega-3 fatty acids. The rising focus of the population on improving their health has lifted demand for seafood over the period. While demand for seafood has expanded, a large portion of New Zealand seafood is exported, limiting domestic supplies and constraining growth in the amount of seafood eaten per capita. Sustainability concerns have also restricted seafood consumption growth, with strict quotas in place for wild-catch fishing operations, meaning that domestic supplies cannot easily increase to satisfy both local and overseas consumers. While the more sustainable aquaculture sector is growing, it still represents a small share of total seafood production. Overall, IBISWorld forecasts per capita seafood consumption to rise at an annualised 0.4% over the five years through 2025-26.