The production blow to Thailand’s shrimp farms from early mortality syndrome (EMS) this year has created a domino effect for Ecuadorian producers, with some switching production from tilapia to shrimp as a result.
The dearth in supply is pushing Chinese buyers to call Ecuador for product, said the Ecuadorian farmer Omarsa.
Buyers that had never bought from Omarsa before are now hunting the company down to get product.
“We get 8-10 requests for shrimp every day from new buyers [in China],” Sandro Coglitore, general manager for Ecuador-based shrimp supplier Omarsa, told Undercurrent News.
Not only is it easy to make sales, the price is extremely attractive. “Prices are going up all over the board,” he said. “It’s crazy. They just want all shrimp.”
Prices are up across the globe. For HSLO vannamei from Indonesia, prices are up at $6 per pound currently, a significant improvement from $4.95 last year at this time.
Omarsa’s businesses focuses on shrimp exclusively, but for those that do both shrimp and tilapia, the shrimp is beginning to look much more attractive.
Swapping tilapia for shrimp
Ecuadorean supplier Santa Priscila is converting 40% of its tilapia farms to shrimp farms this year due to increasing demand from both Asia and conventional markets.
Santa Priscila’s tilapia farms are part of polyculture sites, which are also used for shrimp, and the company has plans to begin converting 40% of those shared sites exclusively to shrimp, Santa Priscila’s Roberto Coronel Kronfle told Undercurrent.
The company produces mangos, shrimp and tilapia. Tilapia brings in 12% of the sales that shrimp does, but it will be less once the conversion happens.
Francisco Murillo, chief business development officer for Regal Springs, said this switch is happening in Ecuador since the start of the year.
Murillo said he knew of one producer that switched from farming entirely tilapia to entirely shrimp, and he predicts the shift will create a noticeable shortfall of tilapia in the US market this year.
There already is a shortfall when compared to last year. Tilapia exports from Ecuador to the US took a 13% dive during the first four months of the year, dropping to 2,741t compared to 3,152t last year
Even more noticeable is the overall shortage of tilapia imports to the US for the period. Imports of tilapia overall are down 11% in the first four months of the year, from 72,300 metric tons last year to 63,900t this year.
In contrast, overall imports in 2012 were up 18%, to 227,442t, including a 225t increase from Ecuador, to 8,381t.
Regal Springs is planning to more than make up for the shortfall in tilapia from Ecuador with its new plant in Mexico, which it just finished production on in February. The plant currently is producing at a rate that would equal 3,500t per year at the outset, but it has the capacity to produce 14,100t eventually, said Murillo.
US shrimp imports through April were down almost 9%. From Ecuador, the shortfall was 11.8% year to date, with Ecuador shipments to the US totaling 52.9 million lbs.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s squid and octopus exports maintained a strong recovery in the first five months of 2026, reaching more than USD 302 million, up 17% compared to the same period in 2025. Growth was primarily driven by Asian markets, including South Korea, Japan, Thailand, and China, while exports to the United States and the European Union continued to face headwinds from cautious consumer demand and increasingly stringent compliance requirements.
Vietnamese seafood giant Minh Phu Group has inaugurated a VND1.5 trillion (US$57.4 million) seafood processing plant in Ca Mau Province.
(vasep.com.vn) From 19–21 August 2026, the Vietnam International Seafood Exhibition (Vietfish 2026) will take place at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC) in Ho Chi Minh City. Under the theme "Innovation – Sustainability", Vietfish 2026 continues to serve as Vietnam's flagship annual seafood event, bringing together seafood producers, exporters, importers, buyers, industry experts, government agencies, and stakeholders from across the domestic and global seafood value chain.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tilapia exports maintained strong growth momentum in May 2026, reaching USD 14 million, up 18% compared with the same month last year. Cumulative export value for the first five months of 2026 totaled USD 62 million, representing a remarkable 101% increase over the same period in 2025, highlighting the sector’s strong recovery in international markets.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tuna exports reached USD 367 million in the first five months of 2026, down 7% compared to the same period in 2025. While the decline is not yet severe, the more concerning issue is that pressure is mounting in key markets such as the United States and the European Union, just as ocean freight rates are rising sharply on long-haul routes. The current situation is therefore not merely about slower orders, but rather a clear restructuring phase for Vietnam’s tuna industry.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The year 2026 marks a period of strong growth for Vietnam’s tilapia industry, but it is also a time when international export competition is becoming increasingly intense. Vietnam’s tilapia exports reached USD 99 million in 2025, up 140% compared to the previous year. In the first four months of 2026 alone, export value reached USD 49 million, a 151% increase year-on-year. As global demand for affordable whitefish continues to rise, Vietnam is emerging as a noteworthy competitor to traditional tilapia powerhouses such as China, Indonesia, Brazil, and Egypt.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) With continued policy support, technological innovation and close coordination among authorities, businesses and farmers, Vietnam’s pangasius industry is expected to make a strong and sustainable breakthrough during the 2026–2030 period, reinforcing its position as the world’s leading exporter of the fish.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) During the first four months of 2026, Vietnam’s tilapia exports to Asian markets showed varying trends across regions and countries. The Middle East recorded strong growth, with Saudi Arabia emerging as the largest Asian market for Vietnamese tilapia. ASEAN markets also expanded significantly, driven primarily by Malaysia. Meanwhile, Japan maintained solid growth, while exports to South Korea declined compared to the same period in 2025.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Shrimp and pangasius continued to lead growth, helping seafood exports reach $4.67 billion in the first five months of the year; however, differentiation among product groups and increasingly stringent requirements from importing markets are posing many challenges for the industry.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Every day, the seafood processing industry in Ca Mau generates large quantities of shrimp heads and shells during processing operations. In the past, these by-products were largely treated as waste, increasing production costs and posing potential environmental risks. However, thanks to advanced processing technologies, materials once considered waste are now being transformed into high-value products, creating a circular economy model within the seafood industry.
VASEP - HIỆP HỘI CHẾ BIẾN VÀ XUẤT KHẨU THỦY SẢN VIỆT NAM
Chịu trách nhiệm: Ông Nguyễn Hoài Nam - Phó Tổng thư ký Hiệp hội
Đơn vị vận hành trang tin điện tử: Trung tâm VASEP.PRO
Trưởng Ban Biên tập: Bà Phùng Thị Kim Thu
Giấy phép hoạt động Trang thông tin điện tử tổng hợp số 138/GP-TTĐT, ngày 01/10/2013 của Bộ Thông tin và Truyền thông
Tel: (+84 24) 3.7715055 – (ext.203); email: kimthu@vasep.com.vn
Trụ sở: Số 7 đường Nguyễn Quý Cảnh, Phường An Phú, Quận 2, Tp.Hồ Chí Minh
Tel: (+84) 28.628.10430 - Fax: (+84) 28.628.10437 - Email: vasephcm@vasep.com.vn
VPĐD: số 10, Nguyễn Công Hoan, Ngọc Khánh, Ba Đình, Hà Nội
Tel: (+84 24) 3.7715055 - Fax: (+84 24) 37715084 - Email: vasephn@vasep.com.vn