Download Our App

Sign Up for E-news
Seafood Watch
Home Seafood
Recommendations Seafood
Search Pocket
Guides Mobile
Guides Sushi Seafood &
Your Health Chart of
Alternatives

Seafood Search

A-N
O-Z

Octopus
Opah
Orange Roughy
Oysters
Pangasius
Perch
Plaice
Pollock
Pomfret
Pompano
Red Porgy
Rockfish
Sablefish
Salmon
Sanddabs
Sardine
Scad
Scallops
Scup
Sea Turtle
Sea Urchin
Seatrout
Shad
Shark
Shrimp
Skates
Smelt
Snapper
Sole
Spearfish
Squid
Striped Bass
Sturgeon
Swai
Swordfish
Tilapia
Tilefish
Totoaba
Trevally/Jack
Trout
Tuna, Albacore
Tuna, Bigeye
Tuna, Blackfin
Tuna, Bluefin
Tuna, Canned
Tuna, Skipjack
Tuna, Tongol
Tuna, Yellowfin
Wahoo
Walleye
Weakfish
White Seabass
Whitefish
Wreckfish
Yellowtail

A-N
O-Z

Seafood Watch - Seafood Guide

Pink Shrimp

© Monterey Bay Aquarium
SEAFOODRATINGMARKET NAMESWHERE CAUGHTHOW CAUGHT
Black Tiger Shrimp Best Choice: These fish are abundant, well managed and fished or farmed in environmentally friendly ways. Tiger shrimp Ca Mau Province of Southern Vietnam and other areas of Southeast Asia Farmed (Silvofishery) Extensive Mixed Shrimp and Mangrove Forestry Using Selva Shrimp® Criteria
Freshwater Prawn Best Choice: These fish are abundant, well managed and fished or farmed in environmentally friendly ways. Giant River Prawn, Malaysian Prawn U.S. Farmed
Northern Shrimp Good Alternative: These are good alternatives to the best choices column. There are some concerns with how they are fished or farmed – or with the health of their habitats due to other human impacts. Bay Shrimp, Cocktail Shrimp, Salad Shrimp, Ebi U.S., Canadian Atlantic Wild-caught
Pink Shrimp Best Choice: These fish are abundant, well managed and fished or farmed in environmentally friendly ways. Bay Shrimp, Cocktail Shrimp, Ocean Shrimp, Salad Shrimp, Ebi Oregon Wild-caught
Rock Shrimp Good Alternative: These are good alternatives to the best choices column. There are some concerns with how they are fished or farmed – or with the health of their habitats due to other human impacts. Rock Shrimp U.S. Wild-caught
Shrimp Good Alternative: These are good alternatives to the best choices column. There are some concerns with how they are fished or farmed – or with the health of their habitats due to other human impacts. Brown Shrimp, Pink Shrimp, Rock Shrimp, White Shrimp, Ebi U.S. Gulf of Mexico, U.S. South Atlantic Wild-caught
Shrimp Avoid: Avoid these products for now. These fish come from sources that are overfished or fished or farmed in ways that harm the environment. Black Tiger Shrimp, Tiger Prawn, White Shrimp, Ebi Imported Farmed in Open Systems
Shrimp Avoid: Avoid these products for now. These fish come from sources that are overfished or fished or farmed in ways that harm the environment. Black Tiger Shrimp, Tiger Prawn, White Shrimp, Ebi Imported Wild-caught
Shrimp Best Choice: These fish are abundant, well managed and fished or farmed in environmentally friendly ways. Pacific White Shrimp, West Coast White Shrimp, Ebi U.S. Farmed in Fully Recirculating Systems or Inland Ponds
Shrimp Good Alternative: These are good alternatives to the best choices column. There are some concerns with how they are fished or farmed – or with the health of their habitats due to other human impacts. Pacific White Shrimp, West Coast White Shrimp, Ebi U.S. Farmed in Open Systems
Shrimp Good Alternative: These are good alternatives to the best choices column. There are some concerns with how they are fished or farmed – or with the health of their habitats due to other human impacts. Pacific White Shrimp, West Coast White Shrimp, Ebi Thailand Farmed in Fully Recirculating Systems
Shrimp Avoid: Avoid these products for now. These fish come from sources that are overfished or fished or farmed in ways that harm the environment. Pacific White Shrimp, West Coast White Shrimp, Ebi Mexico Farmed in Open Systems
Spot Prawn Good Alternative: These are good alternatives to the best choices column. There are some concerns with how they are fished or farmed – or with the health of their habitats due to other human impacts. Prawn, Spot Shrimp, Amaebi U.S. Pacific Wild-caught
Spot Prawn Best Choice: These fish are abundant, well managed and fished or farmed in environmentally friendly ways. Prawn, Spot Shrimp, Amaebi Canadian Pacific Wild-caught


Pink Shrimp

When buying small shrimp for salad or shrimp cocktail, pink shrimp from Oregon is considered a best choice and is certified as sustainable to the standard of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).

Consumer Note

Pink shrimp is typically sold as salad, cocktail or sandwich shrimp. Shrimp is known as ebi when prepared for sushi.

Summary

Shrimp may be divided into three categories based upon their habitat: coldwater or northern; warmwater, tropical or southern; and freshwater. Pink and northern shrimp are small coldwater shrimp species.

All shrimp are short lived, fast growers that produce many young, and so are resistant to being overfished. Smaller species of coldwater shrimp, in particular pink and northern shrimp, are typically caught by trawl.

Bycatch reduction devices have brought trawl bycatch down to very low levels in coldwater shrimp fisheries, and catch of endangered species, such as sea turtles, is rare.

Pink shrimp is also caught off Washington, where little assessment of population size or management is carried out, instead reliance is made on the larger Oregon fishery for that information. We recommend choosing Oregon pink shrimp over Washington pink shrimp when possible.

Bottom trawls may cause damage to the seafloor. However, the trawl configuration used in the Oregon pink shrimp fishery is deemed less damaging than other bottom trawl gears used in coldwater shrimp fisheries, including the northern shrimp fishery off Atlantic Canada. Pink shrimp from Oregon is therefore a "Best Choice."

Scientific Reports About Our Ratings
Seafood Watch Card Print a pocket-size Seafood Watch guide to take with you.
Download a guide now
Mobile phone users log on to mobile.seafoodwatch.org.

iPhone® and iPod touch® users, you can get the most up-to-date Seafood Watch recommendations on your iPhone or iPod touch.

How fish are caught or farmed makes a difference.
Learn more
 Fishing boat