Dataset on India’s imports of Penaeus vannamei brooders from the United States

The introduction of the exotic Pacific whiteleg shrimp, scientifically known as <i>Penaeus vannamei</i>, revolutionised India's shrimp sector and its export landscape since its incorporation into commercial farming in 2009. The cultivation of <i>P. vannamei</i> was allowed only with the Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) broodstocks, which were imported from approved overseas SPF broodstock suppliers. The United States, as a pioneer in developing SPF shrimp stocks and a major hub for broodstock companies gradually emerged as the primary supplier of SPF brooders to India. This development significantly contributed to the remarkable surge in shrimp exports from India, which soared from 2000 metric tons in 2008 to 716,004 metric tons in 2024. The consistent brooder importation by India also marked a transformative progression for SPF production companies operating overseas. To ensure biosecurity and provide quarantine services to licensed <i>P. vannamei</i> hatcheries that import SPF brooders, the Government of India established a centralized quarantine unit, the Aquatic Quarantine Facility (AQF). This facility serves as the sole entry point for all imported shrimp stocks from various international suppliers. Over the past 16 years, data has been collected through the physical enumeration of the shrimp stocks upon immediate arrival in India at AQF. This data was analyzed using GraphPad Prism version 10.1.0 to understand the import trends and patterns. The data offers valuable insights into the sustainability of the sector and also the dynamic exchange between India and the U.S throughout this period. It also provides a comparative analysis of broodstock imports from non-U.S. countries. This dataset is particularly vital for policy makers and decision-makers, especially in light of the recent announcement regarding reciprocal tariffs by the U.S. Government.