Common Name	Northern Shrimp	Conservation Notes
Scientific Name	Pandalus borealis	Sustainability Ratings/Certifications
Market Names	Pink shrimp, Deep water prawn	Buying Tips
Sushi Name	Ebi	Health/Nutrition

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Coldwater Shrimp Market Alert - updated May 2012

In Atlantic Canada catches of Northern Shrimp (Pandalus borealis) are expected to again be about 110,000 metric tons, down significantly from prior to 2010, when shrimpers were landing between 150,000 and 180,000 metric tons. Canadian shrimpers also saw a boost in their dock price to $.76/lb.  That has put wholesale prices of large 125/175 cooked and peeled meats up close to $6/lb. while smaller 250/350 meats were about $4.60/lb. Canada typically exports about 4,000 metric tons of frozen meats to the U.S.

The winter shrimp fishery in the Gulf of Maine ended on a sour note when regulators closed the fishery in mid-February. This year’s catch was expected to be about 2,200 metric tons, about half of last year’s production.

After Oregon shrimpers agreed in mid April on a price increase of $.07/lb. over last year, the fleet headed out in hopes of duplicating last season’s bumper harvest of almost 30,000 metric tons of pink shrimp (Pandalus jordani). That haul was more than twice the five-year average of approximately 14,000 metric tons. In spite of the big catch, processors say they had no problem moving all their production at relatively strong prices.

This season’s Oregon ex-vessel price of $.58/lb. put the wholesale price of small 350/500 cooked and peeled meat up to an average of about $3.60/lb., while larger 250/350 meats were selling for close to $4/lb. in early May. West Coast processors are hopeful that they can sell more of their production to the EU, which is expected to give the U.S. a duty-free quota of 2,000 metric tons of meats next year. Atlantic Canada producers have a 20,000 metric ton duty free quota from the EU.  After that quota is filled, West Coast producers say they are competitive with Canadian product in Europe.

Conservation Notes

Life History/Inherent Vulnerability: Northern shrimp is a species of coldwater shrimp that grows quickly and has a relatively short lifespan, but they are susceptible to temperature changes.

Status of Stocks/Abundance: Northern shrimp is the largest single coldwater shrimp fishery, with stocks found in the North Pacific, North Atlantic, and Arctic oceans. This shrimp’s population can vary dramatically annually, making scientific assessment difficult. A northern shrimp assessment done in 2011 showed that stocks had declined from 2006 to just below the overfished threshold, but that could be due to natural fluctuation. Overall, abundance is considered to be at a medium level.

Fishing Impacts on Habitat: Most northern shrimp are caught using otter trawls. Usually this type of fishing gear would cause long-lasting damage to seafloor bottom habitats, but the soft seafloor in northern shrimp fisheries tends to be fairly resilient. Some northern shrimp are caught using traps, which causes fewer disturbances to the seafloor.

Bycatch, Nature and Extent: Bycatch was once a problem in this fishery but has been greatly reduced since the introduction of a requirement that otter trawls have Nordmore gates, devices that help prevent accidental bycatch of groundfish such as cod. The most common bycatch is undersized shrimp, which remains a concern.

Management Effectiveness: A number of management measures are in place in the northern shrimp fishery, including ones to reduce bycatch and discards. Scientific assessments are done regularly in this fishery, and managers have closed the season early to prevent going over total allowable catch limits and avoid overfishing.

Sustainability Ratings and Certifications

	Seafood Watch	SeaChoice	FishWise	Blue Ocean Institute	New England Aquarium	Marine Stewardship Council
Canada Atlantic Trap-caught		Best Choice		Green	A List
Canada Atlantic Trawl-caught		Some Concerns		Green		Certified*
British Columbia Wild-caught				Green
Oregon Wild-caught	Best Choice	Best Choice	Best Choice	Green	B List
U.S. Northeast Wild-caught	Good Alternative	Some Concerns	Good Alternative	Green	A List
Alaska, Washington & California Wild-caught	Good Alternative	Some Concerns	Good Alternative	Green	B List

*Three trawl fisheries in Canada are MSC certified for northern shrimp:

• Canada offshore northern shrimp
• Gulf of St. Lawrence
• Gulf of St. Lawrence Esquiman Channel

Rating Explanation

Seafood Watch ratings are differentiated by U.S. regions. SeaChoice's ratings for Atlantic Canada are differentiated by gear type. Blue Ocean Institute's rating for northern shrimp is a single assessment for all regions and all gear types.

Buying Tips

• Northern shrimp is available fresh and frozen as meat as well as cooked and peeled in the 100/300 size grades
• Increasingly, coldwater shrimp meat is being sold fresh and most fresh meat is ungraded
• A large supply of small shrimp that is cooked and peeled is available throughout the year
• Larger coldwater shrimp have a better, sweeter flavor than smaller sizes and are worth the additional cost, according to some buyers
• The industry average is a 5% glaze, and those that are frozen cooked and peeled meats always have a glaze
• Additives such as tripolyphosphates commonly used by most processors to make cooked and peeled meat have a tendency to take away natural flavor

Nutrition and Health

Acknowledgements

• Seafood Watch by Monterey Bay Aquarium
• Blue Ocean Institute
• SeaChoice
• Seafood Choices Alliance
• Environmental Defense Fund
• University of Delaware Sea Grant