Shrimp

COLDWATER SHRIMP

By Charlie Kirschbaum
Updated Feb. 2020

Weather/environmental issues: N/A
Next major opener: With the end of the month in October approaching quickly, so is the official closure of the 2019 WOC Pink Shrimp Season. The 2020 season will open April 1, 2020.
Supply trend:
Frozen: Overall landings for the west coast are down about 20% over the 2018 season. The late start to the season may well have been biggest contributing factor. With this drop in tonnage, frozen inventory remains short, especially on smallest sizes.
Fresh: N/A
Pricing trend: This season’s catch has produced a nice grade of all sizes 150/250 through 500+. Please get with your sales representative to check on current prices by size as market and sales are active and changing.
Availability: The smaller sizes, 350/500 count and higher, will be tight. West coast produces the largest amount which is sought after by both North America as well as Europe. Larger sizes of single frozen cooked and peeled will also remain limited. There appears to be additional resources available for a twice frozen cooked product coming into the market from overseas. Should value be more important over fresh cooked single frozen shrimp, twice frozen in larger sizes may be of interest.
General: Coldwater shrimp quotas are increasing in certain areas of the North Atlantic, specifically the Barents Sea, and have decreased in other areas like Quebec and Newfoundland. Overall net supply to the world market of coldwater shrimp is steady. Interest from new markets both domestically as well as internationally is keeping the market in check.
West Coast of Canada: A surprise release of quota this summer out of western Canada provided a nice and welcome addition of coldwater shrimp from a region that has not had a fishery since 2015. We will hope for more shrimp from this area next season.

WARM WATER SHRIMP

By Noemi Jenkins
Updated Feb. 2020

Overseas the supply has been available but some sizes have been more limited than others. Current raw material availability is in the 26/30 to 51/60 size and the larger sizes will become more abundant past March. Pricing has been steady overseas but a little bit higher than what the USA market is selling for. There is a disconnect that will shift as the raw material availability picks up. We have various product forms available in raw, cooked and seasoned.

Please ask your Sales Representative about our February Shrimp of the month Honey Jalapeno and Scampi Seasoned Shrimp! 144304 SHRIMP P&D 31/40 HONEY JALAPENO IQF and 144350 SHRIMP P&D 31/40 SCAMPI IQF

GULF SHRIMP

By Alina McCarley
Updated Feb. 2020

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has not been able to secure from port agents the data necessary to accurately report the volume of shrimp being landed in Gulf of Mexico waters domestically. With insufficient reporting of landings throughout the Gulf for much of 2019, all statistics and summaries produced by an agency or company regarding the total pounds or sizing of Gulf shrimp is an estimate and not necessarily an accurate reflection on the current state of the fishery.

With up to a 64% decrease (estimate) in landings from Texas alone throughout the winter months, pricing for domestic wild-caught product will be high and the volume available lower than is usual in comparison to recent years. With a season that started out with low expectations on how productive the Gulf of Mexico as a whole would be, the actual catch has been even lower than anticipated. Data collection issues from port agents has resulted in inaccurate or “incomplete” reports on Gulf shrimp landings and so are inconclusive in their summaries on the overall volume caught according to NOAA findings. Additionally, the limited selection of the data that has been collected is also a very small representation of the sizing that is typically monitored and accounted for.

With a slow season, the Gulf is still producing. Brown shrimp are no longer landing and any browns available on the market will be the last we see until the mature shrimp once again make their way into the Gulf later in 2020. White shrimp are still being caught at low volumes. We are seeing Pink shrimp from the West coast of Florida continuing to land with the bulk of it being medium to small in size. Pink shrimp, with its distinct mild and sweet flavor profile, would be ideal to sell in place of brown and white which may not be available in some markets or regions.