U.S. shrimp imports in 2009 fell 2.5 percent from the previous year to 1.21 billion pounds, according to statistics released by the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Thailand, for several consecutive years the No. 1 U.S. shrimp supplier, increased its exports by 5.1 percent, to more than 424 million pounds.
Imports of breaded shrimp from China decreased by 4 percent to 44.8 million pounds last year. U.S. imports of all Chinese shrimp products declined 8.4 percent to 97.1 million pounds.
Overall, U.S. seafood imports fell by 1 percent in 2009, dropping from approximately 2.421 billion pounds in 2008 to 2.395 billion pounds.
Imports represent nearly 85 percent of the U.S. seafood supply.
