ShrimpInsights Founder and Analyst Willem van der Pijl said that tariff strains are becoming visible in the U.S. shrimp import market.
Analyzing date from August, which came out later than usual due to the U.S. government shutdown, van der Pijl said the first signs of tariff impacts on U.S. imports became apparent during the month, when import volume dropped 9 percent and 6 percent by value year over year.
“The latest US import data ... shows that January-August imports remained firmly ahead of last year despite a notable downturn in August, the month in which President Trump’s reciprocal tariffs on shrimp came into effect,” van der Pijl said.
Up to that point, import volumes had grown year over year every month of 2025, with April and June seeing nearly 40 percent year-over-year volume growth.
However, only only 60,551 metric tons (MT) were sent to the U.S. in August, marking the 9 percent volume decline.
Between January and August, U.S. shrimp imports still rose 14 percent by volume and 22 percent by value year over year, reaching 546,621 MT and USD 4.6 billion (EUR 4 billion), respectively.
Van der Pijl said that “most [shrimp] product categories followed this pattern,” growing throughout the year and then declining notably in August.
Peeled shrimp, cooked and marinated shrimp, and breaded shrimp all improved year to date through August in terms of value but saw declines during the month. The biggest decline came in shell-on imports, which saw a 15 percent volume decline year over year in August.
Total shrimp imports were valued at USD 501 million (EUR 434 million) in August, more than USD 100 million (EUR 86.8 million) less than June 2025, when they reached their highest value of the year at USD 613 million (EUR 531 million).
India was the largest exporter of shrimp to the U.S. in August, sending 26,550 MT, which was up 1 percent over last August.
Ecuador was next, sending 16,123 MT, which marked 4 percent year-over-year volume growth.
Indonesian exports came in thirs place, amounting to 8,438 MT, which was a 23 percent decline year over year. Next up, the U.S. imported 4,169 MT from Vietnam in August, which was a 46 percent year-over-year decline. To round out the top five, Thailand sent 1,608 MT, which was a a 3 percent year-over-year decline.
