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Internationa trade

Year of publication 1971

Pages VIII, 19

Author Peckham, C.J.

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Document

Category Other document

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) Shrimp is a relatively recent (since World War II) commodity in the world trade of seafood products but has become one of the most important in terms of value, production growth and potential. Shrimp, or prawns as they are sometimes known, may be separated into two basic categories: the tropical or warm-water varieties and the temperate or cold-water species. The tropical shrimp are the principal species harvested and desired in the world market. Major commercial fisheries for tropical shrimp ar e found in shallow coastal areas near large estuaries and river delta systems. The most prevalent means of capture is the otter trawl. Little processing is necessary as a large share of the shrimp catch passes through world trade in a frozen raw headless condition. World landings of shrimp have increased nearly every year since the mid-1950. From 1960 to 1969, world production increased from 501,000 tons to 840,000 tons or over 65%. Tropical shrimp accounted for over 90% of the total catch in 19 69 and the United States was the leading producer. The world trade in shrimp flows almost entirely into two markets, the United States and Japan. Together, in 1969, they utilized about half of the world's total catch and each year their usage increases. The United States is the major market for shrimp and consumes nearly one-third of the world's annual production. The United States market depends heavily on imports which supply over half the total needs. Annual usage, since 1962, has increased a t a rate of 11,700 tons per year while the per capita consumption has increased a little over .04 kg per year. Japan, the other major consuming nation, utilizes nearly 20% of the world's total patch and depends on foreign sources for over half the annual requirements. Usage has gone up at a rate of 8.000 tons per year since 1960, while per capita consumption has increased by .07 kilograms per year. The price of shrimp depends upon several factors: the size (large shrimp bring higher prices), the season of the year, and demand, which is directly affected by available supply. The world demand for shrimp continues to rise and, therefore, is able to absorb the increasing catches made each year. Population growth, increasing per capita consumption, rising purchase power and greater consumer acceptance of shrimp products are pushing demand upward in the major shrimp markets. The demand for shrimp, for the next several years, will be greater than the expansion or development of new sources of supply and production during this time will find a ready market for quality shrimp. Most of the existing shrimp fisheries in the Indian Ocean region are potentially capable of withstanding added expansion at this time.

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    Increasing application of advanced technology, both in harvesting and processing, has resulted in a steady increase in the supply and demand of groundfish products since 1959. Groundfish are taken primarily by otter-trawl gear. An increasing portion of the total catch is being taken each year by large trawlers with equipment aboard that allows the processing and preservation of catches at sea. World production of groundfish has expanded at an average annual rate of 7%. Cod has remained the indus try staple, providing 33% of the total tonnage in 1969. Eleven countries have consistently accounted for 85% of the annual world catch of groundfish. A very substantial proportion of groundfish products go through world trade channels: nearly 60% of world fillet and block production (excluding Soviet and Japanese production); over 50% of world saltfish and stookfish production. World trade in groundfish products has increased 42% since 1960. The total value of this trade has increased by 50% ove r the same period. The more highly processed, higher-priced products, such as fillets and blocks, have been capturing an increasing share of the world market in both weight and value terms. Four north Atlantic countries, Canada, Norway, Iceland and Denmark (including the Faeroe Islands and Greenland), consistently supplied about 70% of the total weight of groundfish products entering the world market from 1960 to 1969. They also supplied a large part of each of the four major product groups: fil lets and blocks, saltfish, stockfish and miscellaneous products. The United States is a major consumer of groundfish products and the leading importer of fillets and blocks. Per capita consumption, which stood at 1.53 kilograms (product weight) in 1969 has been increasing at a rate of .03 kg per year. The United Kingdom is a large consumer of groundfish products and the second most important importer of fillets and blocks. Most of the remaining fillet and block exports go to the European Free Tr ade Association and European Economic Community market areas. The saltfish market, which is centred mainly in southern Europe and South America, has been trending upward. The stockfish market is a minor and declining one. Ex-vessel prices for the major groundfish species have been trending upward since 1960. Block prices in the United States registered a 9% increase between 1960 and 1969, but considerable variation took place. The United States and United Kingdom markets react strongly to change s in price. The export market for groundfish products should continue to grow at the rate of 33,000 metric tons (product weight) per year. Groundfish operations are highly competitive, and fishing has been dominated by the large freezer-trawler fleets operated by developed countries with extensive experience in the fishing business. To compete, developing nations will require substantial financial and technical assistance.
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    Crab is sold alive, cooked fresh or frozen, and as canned product. It may be sold as whole crab, partially eviscerated, leg and claws, sections, and meats. The primary components that appear in foreign commerce are cooked frozen and canned product. Only a few of the world's many species of crab are of importance in the world market. The most important species are King (Paralithodes camtschaticus), snow (Chionoecetes opilio), Dungeness (Cancer magister), Korean (Erimacrus isenbeckii) blue swimmer (Portunus pelagicus) and mud crab (Scylla serrata). The biological characteristics of crab put certain constraints on the method of capture, how they are held, processed, and transported to market. It is essential to capture them with a method that does not cause bodily injury or the loss of appendages. Crab must be kept alive after capture and in a healthy condition up to the time of processing. The season and/or time of capture is very important as the quality and yield of post-molt crabs are low. The relatively low yields on crab dictate that their processing into fresh, frozen, or canned product should be at or near the point of landings or on board factory ships, Dungeness and snow crab yields are about 25%, king crab about 20% and blue crab about 15 or 16% of live weight. Crabs are harvested with a number of different types of gear. King and snow are taken with tangle nets and pots, Dungeness with pots, and blue crab with dredges, trotlines, pots and otter trawls. Landings rose steadily from 247.000 tons in 1960 to 380.000 tons in 1968. They dropped to 358.000 in 1969. Three countries - United States, Japan, and USSR - have dominated the landings over this period and they accounted for about 80% of the total. Four species of crab - king, blue, snow, and Dungeness - dominated the landings and, in the aggregate, account for approximately 74% of the total production. The most productive area in the world for crab is the north Pacific which in 1968, produced about 60% of a ll the crab taken in the world. The export trade, which is primarily in the canned form is dominated by two countries: USSR and Japan. Over the period 1960 to 1969, they accounted for approximately 95% of all exports.
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    The tuna industry is a large, mature, well-established segment of the seafood producing, processing, and marketing economy. World production of albacore and light tunas has increased from 763,000 metric tons in 1960 to 1.081.000 metric tons in 1969. Two-thirds of this increase occurred between 1960 and 1962. Since that time, growth has been limited to an average of 17.000 tons per year. Catches by the longline fleets have shown no growth since 1962. Longline fishing, which has provided about 40% of the world supply in recent years, is operating on fully- or overexploited stocks. The discovery of new sub-surface stocks is unlikely and it is anticipated that of surface fishing effort on the younger fish will recruitment to the sub-surface populations. Surface fishing effort by purse seine vessels has increased in the eastern Pacific and Atlantic and by pole and line vessels in the western Pacific in recent years and so have landings. Fishing for yellowfin is currently under regulation in the eastern Pacific being considered for the eastern Atlantic. Skipjack populations remain largely underdeveloped in the tropical areas of the Pacific, Atlantic Indian Oceans and are expected to provide much of the future increase in world tuna landings. The United States is the major world for tuna and in 1969 consumed the equivalent of 461,000 metric tons of round fish. Consumption is almost entirely in the canned form. During the period 1960 to 1969, use has increased at the rate of 14.000 m etric tons per year. Per capita consumption during 1969 was 2.25 kilograms and has been increasing at the rate of .04 kilograms per since 1960. Japan is the second largest user of tuna and there it is eaten as sashimi, katsuo bushi, namari bushi, in fish and canned. Total usage of tuna in Japan peaked in 1962 at 350.000 metric tons and has since declined to about 325.000 metric tons per year. Per capita consumption is high at 3.25 kilograms per year. The decline in consumption of tuna in Japan i s attributed to the shortage of raw material and resulting rapid and steady increase in price during the 10 year period.
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