Shrimp Penaeus

Biology and habitat

Species description Penaeus vannamei(1), Species description Penaeus brasiliensis(2), Species description Penaeus monodon(3)
The appellation shrimp covers a wide range of decapod crustaceans. The main commercial species belong to the Penaeidae family. The Penaeidae family includes the most significant farmed crustacean species worldwide.

The main species caught are whiteleg shrimp, giant tiger prawn, akiami paste shrimp, Southern rough shrimp, fleshy prawn, and banana prawn.  

Geographical distribution and habitat Penaeus vannamei(1), Geographical distribution and habitat Penaeus brasiliensis(2), Geographical distribution and habitat Penaeus monodon(3))
Even if most shrimps are marine, they can also be found in freshwater. Shrimps are widespread, they can be found in all marine areas, from tropics to polar regions.

Resource, exploitation and management

Stock and resource status/conservation measures Penaeus vannamei(1), Stock and resource status/conservation measures Penaeus brasiliensis(2), Stock and resource status/conservation measures Penaeus monodon(3)
A TAC for Penaeus shrimps in French Guiana (Outermost region) waters is established.

Production methods and fishing gears Penaeus vannamei(1), Production methods and fishing gears Penaeus brasiliensis(2) Production methods and fishing gears Penaeus monodon(3)
Shrimps are either caught in the wild or farmed. The main fishing gears used are otter trawls, bottom pair trawl, gillnets and similar nets, pots and traps and seines. For shrimp farming, there are three growing culture practices: extensive, semi-intensive and intensive, which represent low, medium and high stocking densities, respectively.

Source: 
Information system on commercial designations for Whiteleg shrimp, Information system on commercial designations for King prawn, and Information system on commercial designations for Giant tiger prawn

Catches

Evolution of world catches

• Global catches of Penaeus shrimp (species of the Penaeidae family), amounted to 668.455 tonnes in 2023. The main species caught were: Fleshy prawn (Penaeus chinensis) (33% of the global catches, mostly caught by China), and Giant tiger prawn (Penaeus monodon) (30% and mostly caught by India).
• Over the period 2014-2023, the global production of Penaeus shrimps decreased by 5%, attributable to the decrease in catches of Giant tiger prawn (-19%), Banana prawn (-44%), and the Northern brown shrimp (-21%).

Source: FAO

Evolution of EU catches

EU catches of Penaeus shrimp species amounted to 2.363 tonnes, i.e. 0,4% of the global catches in 2023. EU catches are composed almost exclusively of Southern pink shrimp (99% of the volume in 2024), exclusively caught by Spain.

EU catches of Penaeus shrimp have considerably increased since 2020, in relation to the increase of the Spanish catches (+1.458% in four years).

Aquaculture production

Evolution of world production  

The world aquaculture of Penaeus shrimps amounted to around 9,2 million tonnes in 2023. The main species were whiteleg shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) (80% of global production) and giant tiger prawn (Penaeus monodon) (9%). Production of whiteleg shrimp has significantly increased (by 105%) over the last decade (2014-2023), while catches of giant tiger prawn increased at a lower rate (15% over the same period). China was by far the main producer, providing 33% of the global production in 2023, followed by India (14%), Ecuador (13%), Vietnam (13%) and Indonesia (10%). Over the period, the global production has increased by 82%, related to the significant increase of production in Asian countries (India, Vietnam, Indonesia and to lesser extent China) and in Ecuador.

Source: FAO

Evolution of EU production

EU aquaculture production of Penaeus shrimps is quite limited, with 604 tonnes in 2023. Spain and France provided the bulk share of the EU production (76%). The main species produced in the EU are: Atlantic ditch shrimp (327 tonnes), kuruma prawn (115 tonnes), whiteleg shrimp (101 tonnes), and giant tiger prawn (46 tonnes).

Source: FAO

Processing

Warmwater shrimps are mostly imported whole and frozen to be cooked and sold as chilled products (whether head-on or head-off and sometimes peeled). A share of these imports is also sold through the frozen market. There are different segment types in the shrimp cooking market, based on the shrimp’s size, presentation and preservation, and certification.

Trade

Combined nomenclature Penaeus vannamei(1), Combined nomenclature Penaeus brasiliensis(2), Combined nomenclature Penaeus monodon(3)

EU-27 trade of shrimp products, excluding cold-water shrimps (except for prepared and preserved products where coldwater shrimps are included) (2024, tonnes)

Source: EUROSTAT-COMEXT

The EU shrimp market is mostly dependent on imports. Shrimps are mostly imported frozen to be cooked near to consumption areas.

EU imports of frozen Penaeus shrimp are under an Autonomous Tariff Quota (ATQ) to support the EU cooking sector. The annual quota for the period 2024-2026 is 48.000 tonnes.

In 2024, extra-EU imports reached:

• 329.146 tonnes of frozen Penaeus shrimps,
• 135.433 tonnes of other frozen shrimps,
• 75.283 tonnes of prepared shrimps. Main suppliers include Vietnam, Greenland and Morocco. Imports from Morocco correspond most likely to shrimps caught by the EU fleet, sent to Morocco to be peeled in specialised units and then re-exported to the EU market.
• 150 tonnes of dried, salted, smoked or in brine shrimps.
• 122 tonnes of fresh/chilled shrimps.

Extra-EU exports remained limited, with 5.826 tonnes of frozen Penaeus shrimps, 12.994 tonnes of prepared shrimps, 5.634 tonnes of frozen other shrimps, 977 tonnes of fresh/chilled shrimps, and 172 tonnes of dried, salted, smoked or in brine shrimps.

Supply balance

EU supply balance (2023) – Tonnes of live weight equivalent – Warmwater shrimps:

Source: FAO/ EUROSTAT-COMEXT

Supply balance is provided for the year 2023 (trade data for 2023 were taken into account). Detailed trade data provided in the slides 5 and 6 concern the year 2024. 
The conversion factors were used to convert net weight of imports and exports of fishery and aquaculture products into live weight equivalents.

Prices along the supply chain (EUR/kg)

First-sale/ex-farm (fresh and frozen)
First-sale prices are provided for Spain, for the main shrimp species landed and famred (i.e. caramote prawn).

(*) From January to October 2025

Wholesale
Wholesale prices are provided for Spain and France.

(*) From January to October 2025

Retail/consumption (cooked, chilled)
Retail prices refer to France and Spain, which are among the largest EU markets for chilled cooked shrimps.

(*) Last available year

Extra-EU import (frozen Penaeus shrimps)
Import prices are provided for Spain, France and Netherlands, major importers shrimps from third countries.

(*) From January to September 2025

Extra-EU export (frozen Penaeus shrimps)
Export prices refer to Spain, Netherlands, and Belgium, major EU exporters of frozen Penaeus shrimps to third countries.

(*) From January to September 2025

Marketing

National lists of commercial designations 

Information system on commercial designations and scientific names in all EU languages Penaeus vannamei(1), Information system on commercial designations and scientific names in all EU languages Penaeus brasiliensis(2), Information system on commercial designations and scientific names in all EU languages Penaeus monodon(3)

Consumption

Shrimps (all species included) represent the fourth species group the most consumed in the EU (source: The EU Fish Market – 2025 edition, EUMOFA)

Apparent consumption of warmwater shrimps per capita in 2023: 0,86 kg live weight equivalent (source: Supply balance – 2023, EUMOFA)

Nutritional value (Shrimps, cooked meat, values per 100 g – source : NUTRAQUA/AQUIMER)