Ecuadorian shrimp industry has experienced sustained growth over the last 20 years (Fig. 1). In 2021, shrimp exports exceeded 840,000 MT (a growth of 25% compared to 2020), positioning the country among the world’s leading producers of Penaeus vannamei , the main supplier of shrimp to China and the European Union and one of the major suppliers to the United States. It is estimated that by 2027 Ecuador will double current production, reaching 2 million MT of shrimp.
Despite this notable and sustained increase, Ecuador’s shrimp production model differs significantly from that used by its main competitors. To get out of the white spot crisis, which reduced production by 70% between 1998 and 2000, Ecuador opted to use selected breeders from among the survivors of ponds affected by white spot. At first using the mass selection method (choosing the largest survivors) and currently with breeding programs that use the most modern tools for this purpose.
Table 1. Evolution of Ecuadorian shrimp culture conditions. Adapted from Piedrahita, Arcentales and Velasco (2007 )
While shrimp farming has experienced sustained growth, driven primarily by growth in global demand for seafood, it is no less true that much of this growth is attributed to the new and best practices that the entire Ecuadorian shrimp production chain has developed and implemented in recent years.
This presentation explores the evolution of the Ecuadorian shrimp industry since its first stages, the main changes experienced over time, as well as the challenges they have had to face and the plans for the immediate future.