Editorial Staff | Aquaculture Magazine
Source: Aquaculture Health Committees / ANPLAC · Data 2016–2025 (2025 preliminary) · Own statistical analysis
A decade of records allows us to trace, for the first time, the complete trajectory of Mexico’s shrimp larval industry: a sector that grew 27.5%, remapped its geography, and set a historic production record in 2025 — with internal dynamics that foreshadow fundamental change.
Historic period record
2016 → 2025
(CAGR) 2016–2025
The Underlying Trend: Moderate Expansion with Inter-Annual Volatility
Between 2016 and 2025, shrimp postlarva production in Mexico grew 27.5% in absolute terms, rising from 15,529 million units to 19,805 million. The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the period was 2.74% — real expansion, but at a moderate pace that contrasts with the perception of an industry in rapid acceleration.
The series is not linear. The 2016–2025 period describes a stair-step pattern of advancement, with two significant contractions and two major recovery cycles. The first decline occurred in 2017 (−5.0%); the second, in 2024 (−5.7%), the most pronounced of the period and the only one to interrupt a three-consecutive-year growth streak (2021–2023). In both cases, the industry recovered the following year with growth exceeding 6%, indicating resilience — though also some vulnerability to factors that the available statistics do not allow direct identification of.
The two years of greatest expansion were 2019 (+11.0%) and 2021 (+10.8%). The 2021–2023 triennium constituted the longest growth cycle of the period. The year 2025 closed with a +6.2% increase, setting a new all-time record for the series.
ANPLAC Members vs. Independent Shrimp Hatcheries: The Narrowing Gap
In 2016, ANPLAC members accounted for 89.5% of Mexico’s production with 19 active shrimp hatcheries. In 2025, that share fell to 85.1%, with 18 shrimp hatcheries. The difference seems small in percentage terms, but in market dynamics it is significant.
Independent shrimp hatcheries — those not affiliated with ANPLAC — went from producing 1,630 million PLS in 2016 to 2,948 million in 2025, an increase of 80.9% over ten years. Their CAGR was 6.81%, nearly three times the 2.17% recorded by the affiliated segment. The number of active independent shrimp hatcheries grew from 16 to a peak of 29 in 2024, though in 2025 it dropped to 24, which may indicate a consolidation process among smaller operators.
In 2023 and 2024, non-affiliated shrimp hatcheries reached their peak share of the period: 19.2% and 19.6% of Mexico’s total production respectively. In 2025 that figure fell back to 14.9%, partly because several smaller independent shrimp hatcheries reported declines. Even so, the long-term trend of the independent segment is unambiguously upward.
The ten highest-producing shrimp hatcheries in Mexico in 2025 are, without exception, ANPLAC members. The first independent shrimp hatchery in the ranking appears at position eleven, with 367 million PLS (1.86% of the total). This concentration of productive leadership in the affiliated segment is perhaps the clearest indicator of the competitive advantage conferred by ANPLAC membership in terms of scale, technology, and access to high-performance genetics.
Table 1 — Historical Series of Shrimp PLS Production in Mexico (2016–2025)
| Year | ANPLAC Members (M PLS) |
Independent (M PLS) |
Total Mexico (M PLS) |
% ANPLAC | % Indep. | Total Var. | ANPLAC Labs | Indep. Labs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 13,899 | 1,630 | 15,529 | 89.5% | 10.5% | — | 19 | 16 |
| 2017 | 13,179 | 1,567 | 14,747 | 89.4% | 10.6% | −5.0% | 18 | 26 |
| 2018 | 12,536 | 2,251 | 14,787 | 84.8% | 15.2% | +0.3% | 19 | 25 |
| 2019 | 14,706 | 1,715 | 16,421 | 89.6% | 10.4% | +11.0% | 23 | 13 |
| 2020 | 13,590 | 2,562 | 16,152 | 84.1% | 15.9% | −1.6% | 17 | 21 |
| 2021 | 15,148 | 2,750 | 17,897 | 84.6% | 15.4% | +10.8% | 17 | 22 |
| 2022 | 15,630 | 2,876 | 18,506 | 84.5% | 15.5% | +3.4% | 17 | 23 |
| 2023 | 15,986 | 3,798 | 19,783 | 80.8% | 19.2% | +6.9% | 18 | 27 |
| 2024 | 15,001 | 3,652 | 18,653 | 80.4% | 19.6% | −5.7% | 17 | 29 |
| 2025* | 16,858 | 2,948 | 19,805 | 85.1% | 14.9% | +6.2% | 18 | 24 |
*Preliminary 2025 data. Figures in millions of postlarvae (PLS). Source: Aquaculture Health Committees / ANPLAC. Own elaboration. Scroll horizontally to see all columns on small screens.
The Major Shift: Sonora Overtakes Sinaloa within ANPLAC
For the first eight years of the period — 2016 to 2023 — Sinaloa continuously held the production lead within ANPLAC member shrimp hatcheries. In 2024, for the first time, Sonora surpassed Sinaloa in the ANPLAC segment, with 6,963 million PLS versus 6,724 million from Sinaloa. In 2025, that gap widened: Sonora produced 8,116 million within ANPLAC versus 7,771 million from Sinaloa.
Long-term trend analysis confirms the consistency of this shift. From 2016 to 2025, production from ANPLAC shrimp hatcheries operating in Sonora grew 42.3%, equivalent to a CAGR of 3.99%. Sinaloa, in the same segment, grew only 17.9% with a CAGR of 1.84%. Nayarit recorded a slightly negative CAGR (−0.48%), meaning its ANPLAC production in 2025 was practically the same as in 2016, with no structural growth trend.
Sonora’s Shift: Key Data
2024: Sonora surpasses Sinaloa for the first time in ANPLAC production — 6,963 M vs. 6,724 M PLS.
2025: Sonora widens the lead — 8,116 M vs. 7,771 M from Sinaloa (difference: +345 M PLS).
CAGR 2016–2025: Sonora ANPLAC grows at 3.99% per year, more than double Sinaloa ANPLAC’s 1.84%.
Note: Considering all shrimp hatcheries (including independents), Sinaloa remains the state with the highest total production in Mexico: 9,965 M PLS in 2025 versus 8,335 M from Sonora. The difference is made by independent shrimp hatcheries, which operate predominantly in Sinaloa.
Sonora: Mexico’s Most Organized Market
In Sonora, only two shrimp hatcheries with reportable operational presence operate outside the ANPLAC scheme — a minimal figure given the state’s total volume. The production of those two independent shrimp hatcheries in Sonora represented just 2.6% of the state’s total output in 2025. Virtually all of Sonora’s shrimp larviculture operates under the association’s rules, protocols, and standards.
This degree of organization has implications beyond the numbers. First, it suggests that Sonora has a more homogeneous larval industry in terms of traceability, biosecurity, and genetic quality — which may represent a competitive advantage for the state’s shrimp producers when certifying the origin and quality of their seed. Second, the scant presence of independent shrimp hatcheries in Sonora indicates that the barrier to entry for operating outside ANPLAC in that market is considerably higher than in Sinaloa.
The contrast with Sinaloa is illustrative: in that state, independent shrimp hatcheries produced approximately 2,194 million PLS in 2025, equivalent to 22% of the state’s total production. In Sonora, that same proportion does not exceed 3%. Two very different market models, both with high production, but with radically distinct internal competitive structures.
In Sonora, two independent shrimp hatcheries represent just 2.6% of the state’s production, making it the most organized and homogeneous shrimp larviculture market in Mexico. Nearly all its production is carried out under ANPLAC standards, which could confer differential advantages in biosecurity, genetics, and traceability.
The Ten Highest-Producing Shrimp Hatcheries in Mexico (2025)
The productive concentration of Mexico’s larval sector is high. The ten largest shrimp hatcheries — all ANPLAC members — accounted for 74.9% of all the country’s postlarva production in 2025. Aquapacific, operating from Sinaloa, Sonora, and Nayarit, exceeded 3,540 million PLS, equivalent to 17.9% of the total. Genitech, whose main operation is in Sonora, contributed an additional 2,671 million PLS. Together, the two leading shrimp hatcheries account for more than 31% of Mexico’s total 2025 production.
The first independent shrimp hatchery in the consolidated ranking occupies position eleven, with 367 million PLS. That figure is lower than the individual output of each of the ten member shrimp hatcheries and amounts to just under 2% of Mexico’s total production.
Table 2 — Top 10 Highest-Producing PLS Shrimp Hatcheries in Mexico · 2025
| # | Shrimp Hatchery | State(s) | Production (M PLS) | % Mexico | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aquapacific, S.A. de C.V. | Sin / Son / Nay | 3,540 | 17.88% | ANPLAC |
| 2 | Genitech, S.A. de C.V. | Sonora | 2,671 | 13.49% | ANPLAC |
| 3 | Comercializadora de Larvas, Nauplios y Camarón | Sin / Son / Nay | 1,645 | 8.30% | ANPLAC |
| 4 | Biomarina Reproductiva, S de RL de CV | Sin / Nay | 1,594 | 8.05% | ANPLAC |
| 5 | Acuícola Selecta, S.A. de C.V. | Sonora | 1,569 | 7.92% | ANPLAC |
| 6 | Larvas Gran Mar, S.A. de C.V. | Sin / Son / Nay | 943 | 4.76% | ANPLAC |
| 7 | Larvas el Dorado, S.A. de C.V. | Sonora | 787 | 3.97% | ANPLAC |
| 8 | SRY Laboratorio, S.P.R. de R.L. | Son / Sin | 731 | 3.69% | ANPLAC |
| 9 | Maricultura del Pacífico, S.A. de C.V. | Sin / Son / Nay | 723 | 3.65% | ANPLAC |
| 10 | Larvas Génesis, S.A. de C.V. | Sin / Son | 626 | 3.16% | ANPLAC |
| 11* | Lab. de Productos de Larvas de Camarón SA de CV | Sin / Nay | 367 | 1.86% | Independent |
*Position 11 (first independent shrimp hatchery) included for comparative reference. Preliminary 2025 data. Source: Aquaculture Health Committees / ANPLAC. Scroll horizontally to see all columns on small screens.
Shrimp Hatcheries: More, or More Efficient?
Within ANPLAC, the number of shrimp hatcheries remained relatively stable between 17 and 23 units throughout the period, stabilizing at 17–18 since 2020. This implies that the segment’s growth did not come from new entrants but from increased installed capacity at existing units. Efficiency per shrimp hatchery within ANPLAC rose from an average of 732 million PLS per unit in 2016 to 936 million in 2025 — the highest figure in the entire series.
In the independent segment, the story is different: the number of active shrimp hatcheries nearly doubled, from 16 in 2016 to a peak of 29 in 2024, but production per unit grew far less. In 2025, the retreat to 24 active independent shrimp hatcheries, combined with a 19.3% drop in total segment production compared to 2023, points to a shakeout process among the smallest or least efficient operators.
Trends, Signals, and Questions for the Industry
Integrating all elements of the analysis, four trends emerge that should be of interest not only to Mexico’s larval sector but to those following shrimp aquaculture in Latin America and other regions with organized larviculture industries.
The first is the moderate but sustained expansion of productive capacity. A CAGR of 2.74% over ten years indicates that the sector can grow without structural oversupply pressure. The question is whether that pace is sufficient to keep up with regional shrimp producer demand.
The second is the market reconfiguration toward a greater weight of independent shrimp hatcheries. Their growth rate is three times that of ANPLAC members. This is not necessarily negative, but it raises questions about the standardization of sanitary and genetic protocols among actors operating outside the association’s frameworks.
The third is the rise of Sonora as a consolidated larval hub. Its model — few shrimp hatcheries, large-scale, almost all under ANPLAC — has produced sustained and differentiated growth. The fact that Sonora surpassed Sinaloa in ANPLAC production for a second consecutive year in 2025 is not a minor data point; it could be the beginning of a leadership shift that will be confirmed in coming cycles.
The fourth is the growing concentration among leading shrimp hatcheries. The ten largest producers — all ANPLAC — concentrated nearly 75% of Mexico’s total production in 2025. The first independent shrimp hatchery in the ranking produces less than one-tenth of Aquapacific’s output. This gap suggests the market is polarizing between a group of leaders growing through efficiency and a broad base of smaller operators competing in niches or specific geographies.
The declines of 2017 and 2024 remain without a clear statistical explanation from this data. Cross-referencing these figures with whole shrimp production data in the affected states — and with the health records of the period — is a pending task that could reveal correlations relevant to larval sector risk management.
Conclusion
Shrimp postlarva production in Mexico between 2016 and 2025 describes an industry in genuine expansion — (though at a moderate pace) — with solid internal organization in the ANPLAC-affiliated shrimp hatchery segment and an independent dynamic that is systematically gaining ground. The stronger growth of the independent segment has not displaced the affiliated segment, but it has permanently reconfigured market distribution.
The most structural change of the period is the rise of Sonora as the leading ANPLAC production state in 2024 and 2025, driven by shrimp hatcheries that rank among the country’s largest and that operate in a market virtually free of independent competition. That model — consolidated, organized, and large-scale — contrasts with Sinaloa, which maintains the leadership in total production thanks in part to a broader and more active ecosystem of independent shrimp hatcheries.
Mexico’s shrimp larval industry closes 2025 at its all-time record. What matters now is understanding whether that mark is the beginning of a new expansion phase or the ceiling of a cycle. Upcoming data will tell.
Sources and Methodology
Data source: Aquaculture Health Committees of Sinaloa, Sonora, Nayarit, and Baja California Sur. Statistical compilation: ANPLAC (Asociación Nacional de Productores de Larvas de Camarón, A.C.). The 2025 data are preliminary at the time of this analysis. Production figures are expressed in millions of postlarvae (PLS).
Methodology: Final statistics sheets were used for each year where both preliminary and final versions existed. The number of active shrimp hatcheries corresponds to those reporting production greater than zero. Variation rates and CAGRs are calculated on the reported annual totals. The categorization “ANPLAC Members” and “Independent” corresponds to the classification used in the association’s own statistics. Statistical analysis and interpretations are the author’s own.
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