While U.S. tariffs continue to cast a cloud of uncertainty over the future of the global shrimp market, nearly 500 shrimp experts and industry stakeholders gathered in-person and online to participate in the third annual TCRS Shrimp Summit in Bali to explore the latest trends and technologies that signal a period of industry growth in the years ahead.
"Challenging economic conditions and market uncertainty made it even more imperative for all sectors of the industry to come together to exchange information and learn from one another," said George Chamberlain, president of the Center for Responsible Seafood, producer of the event.
In a live poll conducted during the summit's first session, the tariffs were cited by 100% of respondents as the biggest challenge facing global markets. That challenge is likely to persist, as the complexity of working out trade agreements with individual nations may push the pause on implementing sweeping tariffs beyond the July 9 deadline, predicted Robert DeHaan of the National Fisheries Institute.
Despite the threat of steep U.S. tariffs, industry experts were undaunted, having faced disruptions in the past. Matt Livesay indicated that Red Lobster is working on contingency plans for a variety of tariff scenarios. Ragnar Nystoyl of Kontali Analyse commented that it only took the Norwegian salmon sector two months to adapt to the abrupt closure of the Russian market. In the event of high U.S. tariffs, most producers saw little likelihood for dramatic growth of European and Japanese markets but rather saw opportunity in China and various emerging markets around the world.
In the Global Production panel, Sandro Coglitore of Omarsa projected continued expansion for Ecuador. Erwin Termatt of Kontali commented on China’s surprising recent growth, which may start to level off. India, Vietnam, and Indonesia are in a phase of reinvention, reflecting on the best strategies to address key challenges.
A focus on factors within the industry's control
Much of the Shrimp Summit focused on things the industry can control, including more efficient digital technologies and exciting innovations at every step of production.
The Breeding and Disease Management session addressed the growing challenge of multiple pathogens and the rapid advances in genomic selection and gene editing.
The Growout Intensification session reviewed the steady progress toward increasing intensity, production, and control, while the session on Regenerative and Restorative Systems described farms in Madagascar, Indonesia, and Guatemala that go beyond today’s sustainability norms to actually make things better in terms of ecosystems, communities, life cycle analysis, and far-reaching benefits.
The Sustainable Feeds session analyzed various mainstream ingredients, including soy products and rendered animal byproducts, and novel feed ingredients, such as algal oils and yeast-derived products. At the end of this session, a prominent and very loved member of the aquafeed community, Dean Akiyama, was honored with a TCRS Lifetime Achievement Award.
In the Innovations session, the audience was captivated by exciting advances in health, hatchery and growout technology, and processing. Dalan Animal Health, represented by CEO Annette Kleiser, won the audience's vote for the most promising innovation. Borrowing from its research on honeybees, Dalan is developing a platform for the development of a shrimp vaccine, long thought impossible.
The summit's unique focus on tackling the issues that promise (or threaten) to alter the industry's future was evident in the session on Managing Antibiotic Residues, a topic that has broad implications for public health—and also looms large for countries whose failure to manage those residues could exclude them from the EU market beginning in September 2026.
Improver Programs for smallholder farms—the backbone of the shrimp industry—remain an area of intense interest, and a session on the topic brought together major players, including The Center for Responsible Seafood, Conservation International, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and The Nature Conservancy, to build consensus regarding the fundamental criteria for improver programs and the importance of developing standards in collaboration with certification standards organizations.
Other highlights of the 2025 TCRS Shrimp Summit included a session on Shrimp Welfare, a trade show, and a post-event tour of farms in southwest Bali demonstrating several types of digital technology.
