Argentina’s red shrimp sector looks forward to finally gaining the coveted Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification after a 10-year chase. 

Ever since the country’s Patagonian toothfish won the certificate in March 2023, hope has been bubbling in the equally important shrimp industry.

MSC certification with its “ecolabel” on harvested fish is increasingly becoming an essential proof of responsible fishing in seafood markets. 

For this reason, red shrimp fisheries in Chubut in the Patagonia region of southern Argentina are celebrating gaining MSC assessment. Chubut has two major fisheries, including the shore fishery that began in 2014 and the offshore one of 2016. The two centers account for 60% of Argentina’s red shrimp production. 

The journey towards full certification kicked off in 2018 during the Seafood Expo Global in Brussels, Belgium. Here, Argentina’s representatives negotiated on behalf of the two fisheries.

Inclusion could have come earlier had Argentina’s National Institute of Fisheries Research and Development (INIDEP) assessed shrimp stocks in time.

Stock reference is essential to MSC, as it arrays the sustainable levels of fish species in geographical waters during assessment.

In the interim, Chubut’s red shrimp fishing organization, Grupo Veraz, has to wait some 8 months more before full recognition.

During the wait, INIDEP will continue with its sustainability surveys, including measuring the path of migration of shrimp. Since September 2022, the institute has been tagging and releasing specimen along the 42º00’S latitude line in the Argentine Sea. The aim is to understand changing shrimp migration trends. 

MSC Certification & Import Numbers 

Besides the ongoing ocean habitat survey, MSC certification is becoming increasingly essential for overseas retail merchants.

Retailers in the United States and the Far-East all want these certificates as proof of commitment to sustainable fishing. 

This at a time when Argentina’s red shrimp sub-niche has been relentlessly driving the country’s seafood sales since 2010. In 2023, production hit 200,000 tonnes, 89,871 tonnes of which from near-the-sea sources. 

Imports by the three biggest overseas markets, namely the U.S., Japan and China, have also grown exponentially in 15 years. While the U.S.’ imports in 2010 were only 211 tonnes, by 2023 they had soared to 14,300 tonnes. 

With such impressive gains, all that remains is to earn certification. The country still has sustainable red shrimp levels, although smaller than those of the peak year, 2017.