Shrimp exports generated USD 1,276.9 million during 2012. Shipments of canned fish products were very close, contributing to the country with USD 1,126 million, said the Central Bank of Ecuador (BCE).
In total, the nearly USD 2,400 million generated by both sectors set a record for the country.
In addition, exports of canned fish products recorded an increase of 29 per cent over the previous year. In this sector, canned tuna produced the greatest volume, with 74 per cent of total foreign sales. The rest is completed with skipjack, mackerel and bonito in oil, water or tomato sauce shipments.
According to the Central Bank, the main buyer of tuna was Venezuela, with 15.16 per cent of the export total, followed by Spain, with 11.43 per cent. The United States came in third place, although this country had led purchases in 2011, El Comercio reported.
With these results, canned fish managed to lead the ranking of the 10 non-oil by-products with higher growth in 2012, as detailed in a study of the Ecuadorian Exporters Federation (FEDEXPOR).
Ecuador historically leads tuna catches in the eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO). During 2012, the Ecuadorian fleet caught 215,127 tonnes of tuna, which means an increase of 7 per cent over the previous year, according to statistics from the Inter American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC).
Thus, it became the only country to increase its landings, compared to Mexico, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia and Nicaragua.
For its part, the coordinator of Fisheries and Aquaculture of the Export and Foreign Investment Promotion Institute (ProEcuador), Bolivar Nuñez, foresees that "the market will be stable for tuna in the coming years."
In his opinion, this situation is because "the main consumers, the EU and U.S., increasingly abide by sustainability laws, which Ecuador is drastically fulfilling them."
According to a ranking by ProEcuador, the country is the second largest exporter of canned tuna and tuna loins. In addition, sales of frozen shrimp are in fourth place, while it is the fifth largest exporter of sardines, and the sixth of fishmeal.