(Not controled OCR) The different statistical data sources available for seafood I consumption analysis in France belong to three types : the apparent consumption estimated on the basis of a balance between production and trade, used at national scale and for international comparison, the data in value published by the national Institute for economic statistics, aggregating food balance sheet, and economic results of inquiries about the activities of the branch industries, and the household consumption estimated through consumers' panels. A critical and historical analysis of the different available data series is presented, with focus on the major difficulties when interpreting and cross-checking the data (series breaking-nomenclature items, range of products or groups of products, conversion in equivalent gross weight). While seafood consumption in France has been expanding for many years, this development is somehow intricate and heterogeneous as shown by registration of socio-economic variables along with consumption data. Sociological approaches show that the seafood consumers show various motivation for seafood purchasing, including general trends (quick and easy preparation, dietetic concerns), but also specific motivation for fish. A particular attention is given to the difficulty in the assessment of the place of aquaculture products in the world of seafood, both for statistical evaluation and motivation inquiries.