Seafood Product Preparation & Packaging NAICS 311710

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Industry Summary
The 435 seafood product preparation and packaging companies in the US process fish, shellfish, crustacea, seaweed, and other sea life into fresh, canned, dried, smoked and frozen foods, as well as bait and seaweed products. Processors are often located along coasts or rivers to speed access to fresh catches. Some firms process seafood on vessels or “floating factory ships."
Health and Seasonality of Fisheries Supply
The seafood product preparation and packaging industry relies on healthy fisheries and is subject to limits on seasonal catches.
Meeting Health Regulations
NOAA’s Fisheries Seafood Inspection Program and the FDA inspect operations and ensure that the industry complies with food safety regulations.
Recent Developments
May 23, 2025 - Tariffs Cut Both Ways
- Tariffs on imported seafood would cause prices to rise, making US products more competitive in a market dominated by lower priced imports, Aquaculture North America reports. The US is a net importer of fish and seafood, with imports accounting for more than 79% of the seafood Americans consumed in 2020, according to NOAA Fisheries. The value of seafood imports exceeded exports in 2023, creating a trade deficit to about $20.3 billion. The rise in imports has put pressure on domestic seafood prices and limits revenue for domestic aquaculture operations. However, tariffs cut both ways. Because Canada and China are the top two destinations for US seafood exports, US catches are vulnerable to reciprocal tariffs. Maine and Massachusetts account for 99% of Canada’s lobster imports, while China’s imports of US salmon nearly tripled between 2020 and 2023, per the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service.
- The Alaska Department of Fish and Wildlife (ADF&W) is predicting a significantly bigger salmon harvest this year, after a disappointing catch in 2024, SeafoodSource reports. The total commercial salmon harvest across all regions of Alaska could reach 214.6 million fish, more than double the 103.5 million fish caught in Alaska in 2024. Key to this year’s projection is a much-improved outlook for pink salmon (aka humpback salmon), which is expected to exceed last year’s harvest by 98.2 million fish, according to ADF&W. The department’s forecast predicts the total commercial salmon harvest will comprise 138.4 million pink salmon, 52.9 million sockeye, 20.8 million chum, and 2.4 million coho. If the harvest meets ADF&W projections, it would be the 10th-largest on record. Alaska’s salmon season opened on 22 May, when the Copper River fishery opened.
- In what’s believed to be the first case of forced labor at sea brought against a US seafood company, Indonesian fishermen have sued Bumble Bee Foods alleging the canned seafood giant knew of abuse in its supply chain, Food Manufacturing reports. The lawsuit accuses Bumble Bee of violating the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, which allows foreigners who suffered from human trafficking to sue US businesses that knew, or should have known, they were profiting from forced labor. Per the lawsuit, which calls for a jury trial, the fisherman worked for longline vessels owned by Chinese companies from which Bumble Bee sourced its albacore tuna. They say they were beaten by their captains and trapped onboard. The suit seeks compensation for unpaid wages and abuse, improved working conditions, and systemic changes to operations. Bumble Bee has previously been warned of inhumane conditions in its supply chain, an attorney for the men said.
- Mass deportations of undocumented workers and tariffs on imports — as promised by President Trump during his campaign – would deepen the seafood processing industry’s labor shortage and lead to price hikes on fish and seafood, CNN reports. “There’s no question that mass deportation of immigrants will disrupt the agriculture and food processing industries, resulting in severe labor shortages, higher costs and thus higher prices for a wide variety of groceries,” Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, told CNN. Seafood processors are highly dependent on foreign-born workers, particularly in the most labor-intensive roles, which has increased US dependence on imported seafood and held back economic growth, according to a report by the New American Economy Research Fund. The US is a net importer of fish and marine products, meaning much of the seafood consumed in the US would be subject to Trump’s proposed 20% across-the-board tariffs on imports.
Industry Revenue
Seafood Product Preparation & Packaging

Industry Structure
Industry size & Structure
The average seafood product manufacturer operates a single location, employs 72 workers and generates $33.4 million in annual revenue.
- The industry consists of about 435 companies that employ 31,500 workers and generate $14.5 billion in annual revenue.
- The industry is concentrated with the 20 largest firms representing 59% of industry revenue.
- The average American consumes 20.5 pounds of fish and shellfish each year, which totals more than 6.5 million pounds consumed annually.
- The US is a net importer of seafood products with the value of imports exceeding exports by a ratio of 9:1.
- Large companies include SeaPak, Beaver Street Fisheries, East Coast Seafood, American Seafoods Group, and H&N Foods International. Many of the large companies, like Thai Union, Starkist, and Bumble Bee, are US divisions of foreign firms.
Industry Forecast
Industry Forecast
Seafood Product Preparation & Packaging Industry Growth

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