Vol. 16, No. 9 / U.S. Oyster Prices: Landings, Imports, Exports, Shucked and Farmed Products

Abstract

• This newsletter compiles average prices for U.S. oyster products, derived from the values and volumes of selected U.S. oyster products.
• Available secondary data on annual U.S. oyster landings, imports, and exports, and farmed and processed oyster products are collated from the NOAA Fisheries and USDA Census of Aquaculture websites.
• Trendlines for imputed prices of U.S. oyster products are projected to show a steady trend through 2030

Keywords

• U.S. oysters, dockside prices, import prices, export prices, farmgate prices, and plant-gate prices.

Suggested Citation

Posadas, Benedict C. 2026. Oyster Prices: Landings, Imports, Exports, Shucked and Farmed Products. Vol. 16, No. 9. Mississippi State University Extension and Mississippi-Alabama Grant Publication MASGP-26-059-9. September 16, 2026. https://extension.msstate.edu/newsletters/mississippi-marketmaker.  

Methods

• Annual data on U.S. oyster landings, imports, and exports and processed shucked meats are compiled from the NOAA Fisheries website—source of raw data: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/foss.
• Annual data on oyster aquaculture production are collated from the NOAA Fisheries and the USDA Census of Aquaculture websites.
• The average prices for U.S. oyster products are imputed from the values and volumes of selected U.S. oyster products.
• Trendlines for imputed U.S. oyster prices are projected to show a steady trend through 2030.

Domestic Eastern Oysters

• The primary producers of Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) in the USA are located along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, with Louisiana and Virginia leading in total landings and value.
• The nominal dockside prices of U.S. domestic wild Eastern oysters from 1950 to 2024 are shown in Figure 1.
• The nominal dockside prices of U.S. domestic wild Eastern oysters reached a peak of $12.57 per pound in 2023.

Domestic Pacific Oysters

• Washington is the dominant producer of Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) in the USA, accounting for a vast majority of West Coast production.
• The nominal dockside prices of U.S. domestic wild Pacific oysters from 1950 to 2024 are shown in Figure 2.
• The nominal dockside prices of U.S. domestic wild Pacific oysters reached a peak of $7.45 per pound in 2023.

Imported-Live-Fresh-Wild Oysters

• In 2025, the U.S. imported live, fresh, and wild oysters primarily from Canada (89.1%), with smaller shares from South Korea (7.8%) and New Zealand (3.1%).
• The nominal prices of U.S. live-fresh-wild oyster imports from 2012 to 2025 are shown in Figure 3.
• The nominal import prices of U.S. live-fresh-wild oysters reached a peak of $4.71 per pound in 2024.

Imported-Live-Fresh-Farmed Oysters

• In 2025, the U.S. imported live, fresh, and farmed oysters mostly from Canada (78.1%), with smaller shares from Mexico (21.8%), South Korea (0.1%), and Spain (0.01%).
• The nominal import prices of U.S. live-fresh-farmed oysters from 2012 to 2025 are shown in Figure 4.
• The nominal import prices of U.S. live-fresh-farmed oysters reached a peak of $4.07 per pound in 2023.

Imported-Frozen-Wild Oysters

• In 2025, the U.S. imported frozen wild oysters mostly from South Korea (95.1%) and some from China (4.9%).
• The nominal import prices of U.S. frozen wild oysters from 2017 to 2025 are shown in Figure 5.
• The nominal import prices of U.S. frozen wild oysters reached a peak of $4.08 per pound in 2022.

Imported-Frozen-Farmed Oysters

• In 2025, the U.S. imported frozen farmed oysters primarily from South Korea (93.5%), with smaller shares from Mexico (3.54%), Japan (1.65%), Vietnam (0.85%), and China (0.28%).
• The nominal prices of U.S. frozen farmed oyster imports from 2017 to 2025 are shown in Figure 6.
• The nominal import prices of U.S. frozen farmed oysters reached a peak of $3.68 per pound in 2020.

Exported-Live-Fresh Oysters

• In 2025, the U.S. exported live-fresh oysters mostly to Spain (22.5%), Italy (16.1%), Canada (12.9%), and 10 other countries.
• The nominal export prices of U.S. live-fresh oysters from 2012 to 2025 are shown in Figure 7.
• The nominal export prices of U.S. live-fresh oysters reached a peak of $3.67 per pound in 2025.

Exported-Frozen-Farmed Oysters

• In 2025, the U.S. exported frozen-farmed oysters mostly to Hong Kong (38.4%), Australia (14.4%), Canada (13.5%), and 10 other countries.
• The nominal prices of U.S. frozen-farmed oyster exports from 2017 to 2025 are shown in Figure 8.
• The nominal export prices of U.S. frozen-farmed oysters reached a peak of $3.28 per pound in 2025.

Domestic Farmed Oysters

• Washington, California, Oregon, and Alaska are the primary states responsible for commercial production of the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas).
• The Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica)—also known as the Atlantic or American oyster—is the dominant species cultivated along the East Coast and Gulf Coast of the United States.
• The nominal farmgate prices of the U.S. domestic farmed oysters from 1984 to 2023 are shown in Figure 9.
• The nominal farmgate prices of U.S. domestic farmed oysters reached a peak of $7.19 per pound in 2023.

Shucked Eastern Oyster Meats

• Shucked oyster meats are raw, shell-free oysters packed in their own natural liquor and ready to use for frying, stews, or dressings.
• The nominal plant-gate prices of the U.S. domestic shucked Eastern oysters from 1969 to 2024 are shown in Figure 10.
• The nominal plant-gate prices of U.S. domestic shucked Eastern oysters reached a peak of $7.19 per pound in 2022.

SUMMARY, LIMITATIONS, AND IMPLICATIONS

• The imputed dockside prices of U.S. Eastern and Pacific oysters averaged $10.90 and $6.13 per pound of meat, from 2021 to 2024, respectively.
• The imputed import prices of U.S. live-fresh-wild and live-fresh-farmed oysters averaged $4.39 and $3.84 per pound of meat, from 2021 to 2025, respectively.
• The imputed export prices of U.S. live-fresh and frozen-farmed oysters averaged $3.37 and $2.27 per pound of meat, from 2021 to 2025, respectively.
• The imputed dockside prices of U.S. Eastern and Pacific oysters averaged $10.90 and $6.13 per pound of meat, from 2021 to 2024, respectively.
• The imputed import prices of U.S. live-fresh-wild and live-fresh-farmed oysters averaged $4.39 and $3.84 per pound of meat, from 2021 to 2025, respectively.
• The imputed export prices of U.S. live-fresh and frozen-farmed oysters averaged $3.37 and $2.27 per pound of meat, from 2021 to 2025, respectively.
• U.S. domestic dockside prices command the highest per-pound value, significantly outperforming both imported and exported oyster products.

The table below provides a clean comparison of the imputed average oyster prices across different market segments:

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

• This newsletter is a contribution of the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and the Mississippi State University Extension Service.
• This material is based on work supported in part by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Hatch project under accession number 100004, and
• The Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, and the states of Alabama and Mississippi. Federal grant number NA24OARX417C0155-T1-01.
• The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of any of these funders.