Ecuadorian White Shrimp Market Watch: Large Sizes Ease, Small Sizes Remain Tight
- Noel
- Jun 30
- 3 min read
The Ecuadorian whiteleg shrimp market saw notable shifts in Week 26.
As newly harvested farmed shrimp enter the supply chain, European market prices have split sharply by product size. Supplies of large-sized shrimp have grown, pushing their prices down marginally, while small-sized stock stays scarce, forming a polarized market landscape.
20/30 Count Shrimp First to See Price Declines
The 20/30 count cooking-grade shrimp serves as a key indicator of this price adjustment.
Many European buyers stated that this week’s FOB quotations for Ecuadorian head-on shell-on (HOSO) 20/30 count shrimp bound for Europe stood at $5.35–5.55 per kilogram, down roughly $0.05 per kg from early June.
Though the drop is mild, it carries meaningful market signals. Only weeks ago, European buyers struggled with tight 20/30 count supplies and steady high prices. Now Ecuador’s new harvest cycle has alleviated this strain.
Still, manufacturers need time to rebuild inventories. Most European importers note current supplies can just meet their demand for this size bracket, without any surplus.
Small Sizes Face Genuine Supply Shortages
The real supply squeeze is concentrated on small-sized shrimp.
European summer consumer preferences heavily lean toward small and medium sizes. Processors producing ready-to-cook foods are far more eager to source 40/50 count and smaller shrimp than larger 20/30 count products — this is the core driver behind the split pricing trend.
An Italian importer shared a striking observation: “The biggest market shift this year is not weaker demand, but a dramatic change in the size profile of Ecuador’s farmed shrimp.”
With four decades of import experience, he explained that the market historically relied on small and medium-sized shrimp. This year, however, importers are receiving massive volumes of 10/20 count HOSO shrimp and U/15 headless shell-on (HLSO) shrimp for the first time.
While extra-large shrimp are now widely available, local European markets lack established consumer demand for them. Processors still prioritize small and medium raw materials for production.
As a result, insufficient small-sized shrimp supplies have disrupted production schedules for many value-added seafood processors.
Humboldt Current Slows Shrimp Growth
The root cause of this size imbalance lies in Ecuador’s aquaculture cycle.
Ecuadorian exporters confirmed the new harvest has kicked off this week. Yet the Humboldt Current hits between June and September, lowering seawater temperatures and slowing whiteleg shrimp growth, which delays the output of large-sized shrimp.
Current market supply conditions:
20/30 and 10/20 count shrimp: Readily accessible for suppliers
40/50 count and smaller cooking-grade shrimp: Top demand in Europe but hard to source; many suppliers can only offer quotes for 40/50 count
A contradictory dynamic has emerged: Ecuador’s domestic market holds ample stock of shrimp smaller than 40 count, with oversupply keeping local prices near historic lows. Meanwhile, export-grade small cooking-size shrimp shipped to Europe remain undersupplied.
China Market: Stable Surface Conceals Hidden Pressures
Unlike Europe’s split pricing, China’s market maintained overall stability in Week 26, with nearly flat FOB prices for all sizes of Ecuadorian whiteleg shrimp.
Nevertheless, several undercurrents deserve attention:
Revised residue testing standards
Chinese regulators updated sodium metabisulfite testing protocols. Inspectors now test both shrimp meat and shrimp heads/shells, instead of only meat. This reform has forced exporters to overhaul production lines and quality control systems.
Persistent port congestion
Backlogs at Tianjin Port continue to disrupt shipments. Combined with multiple consignment rejections in May due to excessive sodium metabisulfite residues, trade activity has been restrained.
Depressed domestic pricing
China’s persistently low shrimp prices remain a critical constraint for Ecuadorian exporters when setting overseas quotations.
At the mid-June Zhanjiang International Seafood Expo, purchasing sentiment remained muted. Logistics bottlenecks and stricter inspection rules have dampened buyer enthusiasm.
Market Outlook: Prices Expected to Hold Steady
Exporters forecast minimal price volatility in the weeks ahead.
Price-supporting factors
High operating costs including diesel fuel prop up export floor prices
Premium-quality shrimp stocks remain limited, with consistent end-user demand
Price-suppressing factors
Overseas buyers cannot accept steep price hikes, capping upward quotation momentum
Elevated warehousing and energy costs, paired with a stronger US dollar that raises euro-denominated purchasing costs, make importers cautious with bulk orders
Encouragingly, European purchasing activity has rebounded recently. Ecuadorian exporters have fulfilled multiple consecutive orders of small and medium-sized shrimp destined for Southern Europe such as Spain.
Closing Remarks
The current swings in Ecuador’s whiteleg shrimp market stem fundamentally from a structural mismatch between supply and demand.
On the supply side, aquaculture farms now produce more extra-large shrimp. On the demand side, European consumers and processors still favor small and medium sizes. This size discrepancy between available stock and market demand created the current split market: abundant large shrimp, scarce small shrimp.
For seafood traders and procurement specialists, understanding these structural gaps is more critical than simply guessing whether prices will rise or fall.
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