This report focuses on catch volumes and harvests of different species of shrimp and prawns in Spain, Chile and the US. It also highlights fishing bans, prices, inventories, markets, imports and exports of species detailed in the following index.

1. EUROPE

1.1 Spain

Argentine pink shrimp (Pleoticus muelleri)
Argentine stiletto prawn (Artemesia longinaris)
Whiteleg shrimp (Penaeus vannamei)
Black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon)

Inventories

On the wholesale market of Mercamadrid, during week 23, incoming volumes of prawn and shrimp, fresh and frozen, declined. The most important drop was that of medium frozen HOSO prawn.

Table 1: Incoming volumes into Mercamadrid,
weeks 23 and 22

Source: Mercamadrid

Prices

Prices at first sales of frozen species of Argentine prawn Pleoticus muelleri and Penaeus vannamei shrimp remained stable. But they are expected to increase because of low inventories. The price of Penaeus monodom has increased, due to the low supplies expected.

Table 2: DDP Spain prices of shrimp, through 10 June

Source: FIS.com

On the wholesale market of Mercamadrid, prices have remained stable, compared with the previous week. Compared with 2012, those of fresh rice prawn and fresh large cooked prawn declined. Those of fresh giant prawn and fresh shrimp increased.

Table 3: Prices on the wholesale market of Mercamadrid,
during weeks 23 and 22

Source: Mercamadrid

In Italy, prices at first sales increased in the case of deepwater rose prawn and declined in the case of HOSO shrimp. However, compared with previous years, prices of prawns and shrimps have increased.

Table 4: Prices at first sales in Italy,
weeks 22 and 21

Source: ISMEA - Istituto di servizi per il mercato agricolo alimentare

In Sweden, the quotes at first sales of cooked HOSO prawn increased, compared with the previous week and with the same period in 2012.

Table 5: Prices at first sales in Sweden, weeks 22 and 21

Source: SE - Havs- och vattenmyndigheten

In Belgium, the price of cooked HOSO brown shrimp declined from that of week 21, but it is higher than that reported in 2012.

Table 6: Prices at first sales in Belgium, weeks 22 and 21

Source: SE - Vlaams Ministerie van Landbouw en Visserij

Markets

Table 7: Imports of frozen shrimp and prawn of HS 03061799
by the EU, January-March 2013

 Source: Eurostat

Table 8: Exports of frozen shrimp and prawn of HS 03061799
by the EU, January-March 2013

 Source: Eurostat

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3. LATIN AMERICA

3.1 Chile

Yellow shrimp (Cervimunida johni)
Carrot squat lobster (Pleuroncodes monodon)

According to Chilean Subpesca, extraction of shrimp started in April and there is no information on volumes yet.

At the time of closing this edition, Subpesca had not informed about the TAC of these species. 

Nylon shrimp (Heterocarpus reedi)

Cumulative volumes of nylon shrimp landed in March 2013 reached 2,000 tonnes, up 8% on those accumulated through the same date in 2012.

For this year, the industrial sector covered 77.1% of cumulative volumes, showing a rise of 6.8% from those of the same period of 2012; meanwhile, the artisanal sector reported 461 tonnes, up 12.4% on those reported through March 2012.

Exports

Chilean Customs informed that in April 2013 exports of cooked nylon shrimp HLSO and cooked carrot squat lobster HLSO reached 62.6 tonnes, worth over USD 833,830 FOB.

Table 9: Shrimp and prawn exports, April 2013

Source: Chilean Customs

Table 10: Main shrimp exporters, April 2013

Source: Chilean Customs

If these figures of April are confirmed, during the first four months of the year, they will have exported 217.1 tonnes of frozen nylon shrimp, carrot squat lobster and yellow shrimp –PUD precooked-, worth USD 3.1 million FOB.

Table 11: Exports of shrimp and prawn, January-April 2013

Source: Chilean Customs

Prices

Table 12: FOB reference prices of frozen shrimp and prawn,
May 2013

Source: FIS.com

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3. NORTH AMERICA

3.1 United States

Black tiger shrimp (Peneaus monodon)
Indian white shrimp (Penaeus indicus)
Whiteleg shrimp (Penaeus vannamei)
Pink shrimp (Pleoticus muelleri)
Flower shrimp (Penaeus semisulcatus)
Northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis)
And others

Imports

The NMFS and US Customs informed that in April 2013 imports reported 34,370 tonnes of all varieties of HLSO or frozen raw HOSO, worth USD 322,890.20 CIF.

These figures were up 2.2% on those of the previous month.

Compared with April 2012, these figures are down 9.6% in volume and 0.1% in value.

Out of that volumen, 26% (8,666 t) came from Latin America, 73% (25,079 t) from ASEAN and 2% (625 tonnes) from third countries.

Table 13: Imports of frozen shrimp by country of origin,
April 2013, in tonnes

Source: NMFS (Central)

In the first four months of 2013, imports reported 145,999 tonnes of all varieties of shrimp HLSO or frozen raw HOSO, worth USD 1,293,267.67 CIF, down 7.8% on those imported during the same period in 2012.

This volume is down 8.4% on that of the same period in 2012.

Out of that volumen, 19% (28,105 t) came from Latin America, 75% (109,223 t) from ASEAN and 6% (8,671 tonnes) from third countries.

Table 14: Imports of frozen shrimp by country of origin,
January-April 2013, in tonnes

Source: NMFS (Central)

We must highlight the important progress made by India in imports of January-April, which showed a rise of 83.9%. India was the only country that improved; the rest have declined significantly, as in the case of Venezuela (54.4%).

Table 15: Frozen shrimp imports, by products,
January-April 2013, in tonnes

  Source: NMFS (Central)

Brown shrimp (Penaeus aztecus)
White shrimp (Penaeus setiferus)
Northern pink shrimp (Penaeus duorarum)
Northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis)

Domestic market

After a long period with no information due to off season period, the NMFS (New Orleans) informed that through 31 May 2013, in 34 trips, volumes reported 1,766,200 lb (805.7 tonnes).

Official landing operations were as follows: 15 at the Port Isabel (TX) and 23 in Biloxi (MS), some were said to have been landed at the ports of  Houma (LA) and Plaquemines (LA).

Table 16: Prices EXW New York of shrimp of the Gulf,
Through week 21

Source: NMFS (New Orleans)

The EXV average price of Gulf shrimp HLSO during week 21 was USD 5.55/lb and for HOSO it was USD 1.40/lb.

Domestic market

During week 22, operations on domestic shrimp recovere with the arrival of the first lots of Gulf shirmp at the beginning of the season in Louisiana.

The only exception was made by larger counts which did not vary; counts 21/25 and lower dropped between USD 0.05 and 0.10/lb: prices of brown shrimp remained unchanged from those of the previous week, except for count 36/40.

Table 17: Prices EXW New York of shrimp of the Gulf,
Through week 22

Source: NMFS (New Orleans)

Imports

Black tiger shrimp (Peneaus Monodon)
Whiteleg shrimp (Penaeus vannamei)

Market

According to observers, importers are expected to continue waiting to improve their inventories. At least until May purchases arrived all.

Although the Independence Day is very near, importers do not want to have lots of goods at very high replacement prices.

The situation has not been clarified yet. There is no information on available volumes or prices. Incoming volumes have value agreed on a couple of months ago; since then, the market has changed a lot.

They are also expecting the results of actions of the Secretariat of Commerce (USDOC) due to possible compensating fees. At the request of importers and local producers, the DOC has decided upon China, India, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand, applying fees between 2% and 6%, except for Malaysia, a country which will be applied a very high fee of 62.74%.

The DOC has not decided about Indonesia and Ecuador because they must verify facts.

It is not known what these punitive fees may cause. Producers are under pressure due to the high costs. Will these fees be transferred to the price? Will they look for new markets? Both alternatives are worrying. It is not known whether the demand will be able to absorb greater costs. Not many producers are known to replace over 500 million annual tonnes of shrimp and prawn, considering that the affecting countries are the main suppliers.

Will this measure be in extremis as the AD Law?

Prices

During week 22 the price-inventory balance continued without important variations in black tiger HLSO.

The only variations were shown in Indonesian products with drops of between USD 0.05 and 0.15/lb in almost all counts.

Table 18: EXW NY prices for black tiger HLSO,
through 3 June

Source: FIS.com

During week 22, with moderate supplies on the market, increases were evident in products from Thailand – between USD 0.35 and 0.10/lb- for counts 13/15 and 21/25 and drop of USD 0.30/lb for count 41/50.

Something similar happened with Indian products. Coutns 16/20 and 21/25 were up USD 0.05/lb and count 26/30 was down USD 0.10/lb.

Prices of Peruvian products increased in almost all small counts between USD 0.35 and 0.85/lb and dropped between USD 0.35 and 0.10/lb in counts 21/25 and 26/30.

Table 19: EXW NY prices of farmed whiteleg HLSO,
 and marine white shrimp, through 3 June

(*) count 31/40
Source: FIS.com

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By Ignacio Bayley Bustamante and Juan Murias

www.fis.com