West Coast Shrimp meat: West Coast season has been off to a slow start.  Weather has been a constant issue, keeping boats of the water more often than not.  What catch has come in is a solid 350/500 count, although there have been some small landings of a very nice grade of 250 and larger.  Much of the recently landed shrimp is going to the fresh market, although we are beginning for freeze small amount as well.  Prices are firm and expected to stay so.

Mexican Wild:  The day boats have been catching shrimp since 9/18 and the big boats departed for the Sea of Cortez 9/27.  Packing will commence in mid-October with new season production available by the end of October.  Pacific Seafood will carry again our “Sea Rock” line of all natural Wild Mexican prawns (both whites and browns).   The only ingredient in this product is wild “Shrimp”.  It is too early to mention pricing though the historically high volumes and low prices from last year will likely revert to a more normal seasonal pattern (i.e., a soft rise in prices).

Farmed Whites:  Raw material prices in Asia have firmed up and the weaker dollar is making product more expensive.  Latin American supply is increasing though, primarily from Ecuador and Mexico .  The market for blocks and value added is steady though certain discounts are offered to spur movement.  We carry a broad line of block and value added farmed products.

Farmed Tigers:  Imports are trailing last year as tiger production tends to be replaced by white production in several Asian countries ( Indonesia , Vietnam , Malaysia ).  Tigers have maintained a steady premium to whites and even wild Mexican whites this year.  Given the macro trend to lessening tiger production, we anticipate the premium over farmed whites to continue.  Ask our sales reps about our tiger blocks from Bangladesh and the incoming tiger pndto’s from Indonesia .

White Shrimp: Overall production continues to grow around the world though lower raw material prices at origin have been offset by the weaker dollar.  White shrimp now comes from many Latin American and Asian countries so any shortfall at one origin gets quickly replaced by another.  The predominant farmed species is penaeus vannamei, which is endemic to the Pacific coast of Mexico and Central America .  Another species endemic to the same area is the stylirostris shrimp – this will continue to be marketed as a ‘white shrimp’ though it has an attractive blue tint to it.  We currently are carrying white shrimp from Mexico , Thailand , Indonesia , China , Ecuador and the U.S.   
Prices will continue to be steady (and historically low) as shrimp slowly becomes embraced as an American staple protein.

Tiger Shrimp: Tiger shrimp imports will continue to lag prior years.  Bangladesh, India, and Vietnam are the primary growers of penaeus monodon, which is endemic to SE Asian waters.   We have block tigers now available from Bangladesh and await fresh harvest pricing on value added products from India and Vietnam. The slowdown in availabilities will keep tigers priced at premiums to comparable white farmed and wild sizes.  It was a decade ago when tigers were introduced to the U.S. as cheaper substitutes to the farmed white products.