U.S. oyster production has been in decline for decades, from the highs of the 1950s ( 80 million lbs. meat weight), to current production ( 25 million lbs). The value of production in real terms, however, is on par with that of the 1950s, at $219 million, implying that the real price of oysters has nearly tripled from $3/lb. in the 1950s to $8 today. The value of imports has nearly doubled, from around $50 million in the early 2000s to around $100 million today. U.S. consumption has increased as well , with total value increasing by half since the early 1990s, from about $200 million to over $300 million. Overall, domestic production has made up 80% of the value of domestic consumption, though that share has slipped to below 70% in the past few years.
One major change in domestic production has been the shift toward farmed oysters. NOAA estimates that U.S. farmed production has doubled since 2006, though FAO estimates indicate only a 25% increase. FAO estimates that farmed oysters account for 75% of domestic production compared to 2005 when it was last about 50/50. NOAA estimates farmed production at 42 million lbs. , 1.7 times that of domestic landings. There may be some challenges, however, with these data . FAO appears to classify nearly all Atlantic Coast production as wild and Gulf Coast production as farmed. The Gulf Coast relies primarily on naturally spawned oysters grown on cultch, whereas much of the Atlantic Coast relies on hatchery-reared oysters. There remains a need for standardized definitions of what constitutes “wild” and “farmed”. As for NOAA data, it is not clear the extent to which landings data include farmed production.
Despite data limitations, some insights can be gained by examining implied prices. NOAA c ommercial landings over the past 10 years indicate the highest average price is among New England states ($39/lb ), followed by Mid-Atlantic ($10) and South Atlantic ($7). The lowest prices are observed in the Gulf and Pacific ($6) . New England has the lowest level of production, indicating production with hatchery-reared seed grown in containers bound for the half-shell market. Prices in the Mid- and South Atlantic indicate that both bottom and water-column production bound for both the half-shell and shucked markets . The Gulf leads all regions in production , where nearly all production is on cultch with naturally spawned oysters, much of it bound for the shucked market. The Pacific Coast is the second-largest producing region, relying primarily on hatchery-reared seed, but also likely sending many oysters to the shucked market.
More than half of the total value of imports over the past few years has been live/fresh oysters most likely bound for the half-shell market , 95% of which is classified as farmed and coming from Canada ($47 million in 2023) and Mexico ($11 million in 2023). Again, the implied prices may tell a story: Canadian farmed oyster price is $4/lb ., whereas it is $2/lb. fo r Mexico. Canadian imports have surged of late, exceeding 10 million lbs. , up from around 5 million lbs. prior to 2021. Mexican imports are also up, exceeding 6 million lbs. in recent years, up from less than 4 million lbs. prior to 2018.