According to the shrimp industry of Ecuador the first half of the current financial year has set new record as the export in volume of shrimp surpassed exports from 1998. The statistics of the National Chamber of Fisheries stated that between January and June of this year 152 million pounds of Ecuadorian shrimp were exported at $339.6 million US dollars.
It is said that Ecuador sold 14 percent more shrimp in volume in this period than during the same period in 1998. However, prices in 1998 were higher with sales of $488.2 million US. In May 2008 the monthly shrimp exports break all the records by reaching 34.1 million pounds. The country had got $76.9 million US dollars for shrimp exports during May.
It is fact that the volume declined in June but exports were up 15.6 percent as compared to June 2007. Caesar Monk, president of the Ecuadorian Chamber of Fisheries, informed that elimination of trade barriers, such as anti-dumping measures from the United States, allows for recovery of sales. But he also indicates that markets lost during the attack of “La Mancha Blanca” are opening their doors again to shrimp from Ecuador.
According to the authority Ecuador lost an estimated $500 million US dollars in exports since 1999 after an attack of “la Mancha Blanca”, a deadly viral epozooic disease, called the white spot syndrome virus or WSSV. Mortalities of shrimps reach 100 percent within 3 to 10 days of the onset of clinical signs. It is said that 2007 was the best year on record for the shrimp exports; 273 million pounds were sold representing USD $582 million.
