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Shrimp disease in Asia resulting in high U.S. import prices

June 30, 2014

In 2013, consumers and businesses found themselves paying higher prices for shrimp with less product available in supermarkets and restaurants. One of the leading factors behind higher shrimp prices since 2010 is a shortage of imports from the top shrimp producers in Southeast Asia due to an early mortality syndrome (EMS) epidemic in juvenile shrimp.

Import  price index, fish and shellfish, January 2004–March 2014
DateAll imports excluding fuelFish and shellfish

Jan 2004

100.0100.0

Feb 2004

100.5102.8

Mar 2004

100.9107.4

Apr 2004

101.2109.9

May 2004

101.4108.0

Jun 2004

101.2107.5

Jul 2004

101.3110.0

Aug 2004

101.7110.6

Sep 2004

101.9109.1

Oct 2004

101.8108.7

Nov 2004

102.0108.0

Dec 2004

102.5108.5

Jan 2005

103.0109.6

Feb 2005

103.3110.9

Mar 2005

103.4112.8

Apr 2005

103.6111.8

May 2005

103.4111.2

Jun 2005

103.3111.0

Jul 2005

103.1113.6

Aug 2005

103.0114.8

Sep 2005

103.3114.8

Oct 2005

103.4116.2

Nov 2005

103.3114.4

Dec 2005

103.5115.3

Jan 2006

103.8115.0

Feb 2006

104.0117.4

Mar 2006

104.1119.1

Apr 2006

104.2118.0

May 2006

105.0118.9

Jun 2006

105.6119.5

Jul 2006

105.6120.8

Aug 2006

105.9121.3

Sep 2006

106.2121.4

Oct 2006

106.1120.4

Nov 2006

106.2118.6

Dec 2006

106.5118.3

Jan 2007

106.8121.3

Feb 2007

106.6123.3

Mar 2007

106.8123.7

Apr 2007

107.1122.9

May 2007

107.6123.4

Jun 2007

107.9124.0

Jul 2007

108.2125.6

Aug 2007

108.5126.4

Sep 2007

108.5126.9

Oct 2007

109.0126.2

Nov 2007

109.4125.0

Dec 2007

109.8125.3

Jan 2008

110.5127.5

Feb 2008

111.1127.6

Mar 2008

112.2131.6

Apr 2008

113.5132.2

May 2008

114.1129.8

Jun 2008

114.8134.0

Jul 2008

115.5134.3

Aug 2008

115.7137.3

Sep 2008

115.1134.1

Oct 2008

114.2131.9

Nov 2008

112.2128.5

Dec 2008

111.0125.2

Jan 2009

110.2126.1

Feb 2009

109.8124.2

Mar 2009

109.1126.5

Apr 2009

109.2125.2

May 2009

109.4124.3

Jun 2009

109.6125.7

Jul 2009

109.4125.1

Aug 2009

109.8125.5

Sep 2009

110.2124.8

Oct 2009

110.6126.2

Nov 2009

110.9125.6

Dec 2009

111.3125.6

Jan 2010

111.7124.8

Feb 2010

111.8125.6

Mar 2010

112.0127.2

Apr 2010

112.7130.3

May 2010

113.2133.0

Jun 2010

112.7134.1

Jul 2010

112.4136.2

Aug 2010

112.7138.5

Sep 2010

113.0140.6

Oct 2010

113.4144.1

Nov 2010

114.3145.8

Dec 2010

114.7148.3

Jan 2011

115.5151.6

Feb 2011

116.1151.2

Mar 2011

116.9153.1

Apr 2011

117.9156.9

May 2011

118.3158.3

Jun 2011

118.3159.1

Jul 2011

118.5161.9

Aug 2011

118.8160.2

Sep 2011

119.1160.1

Oct 2011

118.8160.8

Nov 2011

118.5158.3

Dec 2011

118.6157.4

Jan 2012

118.8159.9

Feb 2012

118.8157.9

Mar 2012

119.3158.7

Apr 2012

119.5158.8

May 2012

119.4155.5

Jun 2012

119.0155.3

Jul 2012

118.5152.3

Aug 2012

118.3151.0

Sep 2012

118.6150.1

Oct 2012

118.9150.4

Nov 2012

118.7152.1

Dec 2012

118.6150.6

Jan 2013

118.8151.8

Feb 2013

118.9155.3

Mar 2013

118.8161.2

Apr 2013

118.6166.5

May 2013

118.1170.0

Jun 2013

117.8170.8

Jul 2013

117.3172.4

Aug 2013

117.1176.4

Sep 2013

117.2181.9

Oct 2013

117.3186.1

Nov 2013

117.3184.2

Dec 2013

117.2183.3

Jan 2014

117.5190.5

Feb 2014

117.5191.0

Mar 2014

117.8191.3

A bacterial disease known as acute hepatopancreatic necrosis syndrome (AHPNS) causes EMS. The disease spreads quickly as shrimp eat and infect other shrimp, and it can wipe out a pond’s entire shrimp population within a matter of months. In addition, the syndrome’s onset takes place before the shrimp are mature enough to reproduce. First appearing in China in 2009, AHPNS spread to Vietnam in 2010, Malaysia in 2011, and Thailand, the world’s largest shrimp exporter, in 2012. AHPNS has affected shrimp supplies, particularly Pacific white shrimp and black tiger shrimp, in the latter three countries.

With the problem now identified, the shrimp industry is hopeful that production will start to increase. In the meantime, other countries, such as India, have increased their production to help ease some of the pressure. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. shrimp imports from India increased 42.8 percent in 2013.

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Pounds of U.S. shrimp imports from selected countries, total
Country200820092010201120122013

Thailand

404,372,876424,978,695448,177,820409,581,095300,006,265185,514,706

Indonesia

185,297,674152,843,187134,690,411155,060,940163,311,539178,786,098

Ecuador

124,199,261135,754,432143,355,643162,681,017178,934,031163,902,764

Vietnam

106,486,61893,045,714106,622,094100,144,28990,724,752131,745,462

India

34,025,58743,949,75566,585,881106,317,162145,418,448207,699,729

China (Mainland)

106,178,86497,133,851106,030,83794,737,81978,575,95371,569,786

Mexico

76,047,34590,657,99651,888,58568,063,19157,556,42140,673,514

Other countries

212,287,612179,052,816179,373,557175,453,279162,033,456140,173,359

Source: Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.


 

Pounds of U.S. shrimp imports from selected countries, frozen
Country200820092010201120122013

Thailand

244,262,155247,902,552269,157,712234,556,567175,137,05099,156,464

Ecuador

122,345,249133,828,968141,520,489159,902,021175,015,802160,029,655

Indonesia

159,887,713126,881,309114,302,492131,029,654141,597,827151,291,830

India

29,656,69637,325,20761,542,05299,263,637138,621,109194,396,954

Vietnam

88,621,83277,210,47279,643,93467,043,12664,975,53981,046,759

Mexico

75,965,23890,599,56951,792,67867,851,36757,135,79539,933,035

Malaysia

58,741,27834,016,21749,886,38960,759,77948,671,90321,403,584

Other countries

164,508,744148,280,243147,079,077128,053,884121,953,981123,675,815

Source: Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.


 

Pounds of U.S. shrimp imports from selected countries, fresh
Country200820092010201120122013

China (Mainland)

920,7381,244,3391,002,2812,195,1881,319,8281,339,811

India

821,8281,000,7291,013,5531,043,9521,020,057164,624

Thailand

415,055419,257319,485319,955236,388127,096

Ecuador

165,94052,832103,059174,985501,047481,002

Pakistan

296,874170,792201,943224,435130,02966,359

Malaysia

180,865189,243232,074134,264156,552171,121

South Korea

334,53871,10871,176181,354189,959197,686

Other countries

1,215,5401,067,868956,848960,142517,989513,609

Source: Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.


 

Pounds of U.S. shrimp imports from selected countries, prepared
Country200820092010201120122013

Thailand

159,695,666176,656,886178,700,623174,704,574124,632,82686,231,146

China (Mainland)

68,241,87271,591,37672,187,99764,615,49856,991,13753,627,088

Vietnam

17,820,73815,608,83426,798,28332,774,95625,706,50350,696,584

Indonesia

25,129,55425,961,80120,387,91924,031,28621,642,03627,493,907

India

3,547,0635,623,8194,030,2766,009,5725,777,28213,138,152

Canada

8,838,6715,081,3434,263,1264,372,0433,475,1323,549,133

Malaysia

7,470,8716,407,2493,555,7553,628,4371,792,073657,390

Other countries

9,811,11910,224,4337,975,6068,208,1169,363,02110,676,616

Source: Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.

These data are from the BLS International Price Program and the U.S. Bureau of the Census. To learn more, see “Shrimp disease in Asia resulting in high U.S. import prices” (HTML) (PDF), by Kristen Reed and Sharon Royales, Beyond the Numbers, June 2014.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Shrimp disease in Asia resulting in high U.S. import prices at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2014/ted_20140630.htm (visited October 31, 2024).

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