GOAL 2018: Tour Ecuador’s Thriving Shrimp Sector

Ecuador is one of the world's largest shrimp producers and the biggest by far in Latin America. Last year, the country exported around 940 million pounds of shrimp worth approximately $3 billion, according to the National Chamber of Aquaculture (CNA). Pictured here is one of the the main farming areas along the Guayas River.

GAA is currently offering three industry tours immediately before and after GOAL 2018. The tour immediately after the conference is of a shrimp hatchery, farm and processing plant in rural Manabí province. It begins with Aqua Norte shrimp hatchery in Canoa, Manabí.

Many of the Ecuador's first shrimp farms were located in Manabí province, the site of one of two tours currently scheduled during GOAL 2018.

After Aqua Norte shrimp hatchery, the tour turns north to the Corporación Aray shrimp farm near Pedernales, located in the northwest corner of Manabí province. The tour includes a 15-minute boat ride through a mangrove forest to the farm.

The farm diverts water from the Cojimíes River Estuary into a canal system that feeds 18 ponds.

During harvest, workers position themselves at the outlet of a pond, capturing the shrimp in a purse seine. The shrimp are then immediately placed on ice in bins. This particular crop of shrimp was destined for the Empacadora del Pacifico (EDPACIF) S.A. shrimp processing plant in Pedernales, which is the last stop on the tour. The shrimp are packed head-on, shell-on and exported to markets like France and Japan.

Time for lunch! The Corporación Aray shrimp farm has a small kitchen where the workers eat. After touring the ponds, participants will be treated to lunch. Pictured here is a traditional Ecuadorian fish and shrimp stew, made with corvina and shrimp from the previous day's harvest.

There are two tours being offered on Monday, Sept. 24, right before GOAL 2018 kicks off. One is of the Corporación Lanec shrimp farm in Taura, followed by the Alimentsa feed mill in Durán, which is located just outside of Guayaquil. BioMar, which holds a 70 percent stake in Alimentsa, is a GOAL 2018 sponsor.

The other tour on Monday, Sept. 24, is of the Skretting Validation Station in Puerto Morro-Playas, where the Nutreco-owned company conducts validation trials on its feed. It's located 1 1/4 hours southwest of Guayaquil. Construction is underway on a new 470,000-metric-ton, $65 million Skretting feed mill in Durán, which is located just outside of Guayaquil. It is due to be completed by 2019. Skretting is a GOAL 2018 sponsor as well as sponsor of the sixth annual Global Aquaculture Innovation Award. The three finalists will be announced in late July, and the winner will be picked by the audience at GOAL 2018.

To confirm your participation, register for the conference and select the appropriate tour or tours when prompted. Space is limited, and each tour is closed once its capacity is reached. Questions? Contact GAA’s Steven Hedlund at steven.hedlund@aquaculturealliance.org.