Russian Government Plans to Allocate Additional Support to Domestic Crab Producers This Year 

The Russian government plans to allocate additional RUB 10-15 billion (USD$150-200 million) for support of domestic crab producers who are building ships for their needs at Russian shipyards in the Far East, according to recent statements, made by some senior officials of the Russian Rosrybolovstvo and industry analysts.

As ​​Deputy Prime Minister Yury Trutnev has recently said, the building of such ships in the Russian Far East at present remains very expensive for domestic fishermen, compared to the building of similar...

VIDEO: Chilean Salmon in US; Harbor Seafood Wins Award; Right Whales Act; WC Dungeness Season Delay

Join SeafoodNews Weekly Video hosts Lorin Castiglione and Ryan Doyle as they discuss Chilean salmon reaching the US market despite firms struggling with logistics as protests and strikes continue throughout the country; Harbor Seafood won US Foods' Center-of-the-plate Award; a Senate Committee's passing of the SAVE Right Whales Act and the primary west coast Dungeness crab season delay.

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Japanese Snow Crab Season Opens, Auction Fetches ¥5 Million ($45,800) For One Crab

Japanese snow crab season opened on November 6 with an all-time record-setting price for the best crab sold at auctions. The top bid price reached ¥5 million per animal in Hyogo Prefecture at the season’s first auction, Suisan Keizai Shinbun reported. The fishing season is open through March 20 next year for male crabs and the end of this year for female crabs.

Crab is immensely popular in Japan, especially in winter. The best snow crabs brought to the season’s first day...

West Coast Crab Meat Recovery Results Show Consistent Range from CA to WA

The first round of coastwide meat recovery results are in from all three West Coast states, with crab from Brookings, Ore., showing the highest recovery percentage, at 22.3 percent.

The areas bound by the Tri-State agreement, northern California, Oregon and Washington, all had boats on the water in October or early November to gather samples for meat recovery and domoic acid testing. Washington was the only state to take advantage of early-season testing.

The results showed a range between...

Kodiak Tanner Crab is a go for 2020

It’s a go for Kodiak’s Tanner crab fishery, albeit a small one.

The mid-January fishery will have a combined 400,000 pounds catch limit in two areas, the minimum to open a fishery. Crabbers will tap on the tail end of a big Tanner year class from 2013.

“The east side's going to have a 300,000 pound GHL and the southeast is going to have 100,000 pounds. And particularly on the east side, this definitely is fishing on the same crab that they've been fishing for the last two seasons..."

Several Issues Affecting West Coast Dungeness Crab Seasons

California Department of fish and Wildlife Director Charlton Bonham will formally decide today whether to delay the Central California Dungeness season by about a week. Washington crab have insufficient meat recovery -- even for this early in the year -- and Oregon is just getting its meat recovery and domoic acid testing going.

CDFW announced Friday the proposed delay south of the Mendocino/Sonoma county line from the traditional Nov. 15 season opening in San Francisco and surrounding areas until Nov. 23 due to potential risk of whale entanglements. Bonham said he would take public comment until ...

Russian Banks Eye Expansion in Domestic Crab Business 

Russian leading financial institutions and banks are interested in the expansion of domestic crab business by purchasing stakes in some of the country’s leading local producers, according to recent statements of producers and industry analysts.

For example, Sberbank, Russia’s largest state-owned bank, has recently acquired the 5% stake in the Sakhalin-based Ostrovnoy-Krab, the Russian crab producer from its major shareholder DV Fisherman, one of the largest fishing groups, based in the Far East.  

According to some local analysts, the banks...

Russian King Crab Seizes a Greater Market Share in China

King crabs have become a rock star in the Chinese seafood market, and recent years have shown a dramatic increase in the country’s import, according to media reports. Available data show that its imports have skyrocketed from 1,500 tons in 2015 to around 10,000 tons in 2018. And this year the number is expected to reach 13,000 tons.

Among all exporters, Russia, China's neighbor, has risen to prominence. For example, statistics show Shanghai’s import from Russia has ballooned by 950% this year compared with ...

Listen: Bering Sea Crab Quotas; NPFMC Observer Program; Invasive Green Crabs and More

Join SeafoodNews Podcast hosts Lorin Castiglione and Ryan Doyle as they discuss Bering Sea crab quotas; NPFMC's vote on the observer program; invasive green crabs in Washington; MSC's annual report; National Seafood Month and much more!

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Russia Plans to Increase its Seafood Imports from Latin America in Wake of EU Embargoes

Russia plans to significantly increase imports of fish and seafood from the Latin American region within the next several years.

Senior state officials of the Russian Ministry of Agriculture and industry analysts made those statements during the WorldFood 2019 expo, one of the most important annual events in the European food and drink industry.

According to them, Latin America is expected to be the major fish and seafood supplier to Russia in ...

High Number of European Green Crabs Found in Drayton Harbor Near Washington-Canadian Border

As part of an early-detection partnership, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Washington Sea Grant Crab Team found evidence of European green crabs (Carcinus maenas) in Drayton Harbor during regular monitoring, and then trapped 17 green crabs during a two-day rapid response in late September. This is the highest number of green crabs trapped in such a short period of time from any one area along Washington’s inland shoreline.

“Finding this many invasive green crabs so quickly in one area raises a serious concern...

Russian Crab Producers Plan to Invest Millions in New Crab Vessels This Year

Russian crab industry competition may increase again, due primarily to the recently announced plans of some domestic industry leaders to speed building of new crab-fishing vessels.

According to the Russian Kommersant business paper, one of such companies, RRPK, is investing $500 million USD in the building of at least 22 vessels already this year.

As part of these plans, at least 10 of the vessels will be built at the domestic Onega shipyard. That will provide an opportunity the company to claim the majority of crab quotas ...

Study: Six Eastern Bering Sea Stocks Appear Most Vulnerable to Climate Change

NOAA scientists and partners have released a Climate Vulnerability Assessment for groundfish, crabs and salmon in the Eastern Bering Sea. They looked at the potential impacts of changing climate, ocean temperatures and other environmental conditions on 36 stocks. Of these, four rockfish stocks, flathead sole and Tanner crab were determined to be the most vulnerable. Several other fish stocks were seen as potentially more resilient. This is because they may be able to move to areas with more favorable environmental conditions, such as...

Washington Commission Supports $24.5M Budget Request Increase for WDFW

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission approved moving forward on a request to the State Legislature to increase Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife funding.

It was the first meeting for two new members, Molly Linville and James R. Anderson, who joined five other commission members to approve the department's request to seek $24.5 million in increased operating funds, plus $26 million in capital funds, during the 2020 state legislative supplemental session, according to a press release.

The department seeks $6.6 million to...

Sergey Darkin Aims to Become Leading Russian Fish Producer in the Years to Come

Sergey Darkin, a well-known Russian fishing tycoon and a former governor of Russia’s Primorsky Territory, plans to make the Nakhodka Base of Active Sea Fisheries (Nakhodkinskaya BAMR) subsidiary the largest fish processor in the Russian Far East within the next several years, according to some sources close to the businessman and some leading Russian analysts in the field of fish business.

As part of these plans, Nakhodkinskaya BAMR has recently launched deep-sea processing of squid, pollock and...

Acoustic Tags Reveal Dungeness Crab Ranges; Research May Inform Management, Offshore Energy Siting

Dungeness crab is Oregon’s leading commercial seafood product, bringing in an estimated $75 million in 2018, yet little is known about how far crabs will venture in search of food.

Oregon State University marine ecologist Sarah Henkel is hoping to change that. Last year, she and a colleague from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration glued acoustic tags onto several legal-sized Dungeness crabs near the mouth of the Columbia River and off of Cape Falcon, then deployed acoustic receivers ...

Primary West Coast Dungeness Season Delayed Until Mid-December at the Earliest

This year's warm water blob off the West Coast is dissipating -- or at least shrinking and moving offshore -- and helping out this year's Dungeness crab season. Most areas from Washington to California show relatively low domoic acid levels.

However, meat recovery rates have not been helping the fishery. Fishery managers from all three states talked this week and decided to delay the primary season from northern California to Washington until at least Dec. 16. Crab quality testing from all three states in early November showed...

LISTEN: Chilean Salmon Production Ramps Up; Dungeness Crab Season Delay and More

Join SeafoodNews Podcast hosts Lorin Castiglione and Ryan Doyle as they discuss salmon production beginning to pick up pace in Chile; Dungeness crab season delayed by a week; Billy Joel's donation to industry associations; salmon appears on Oprah's Favorite Things List and Lorin breaks down her trip to New Bedford, Massachusetts!

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CDFW Director Shortens California Crab Season Delay by One Day, to Nov. 22

California Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Charlton Bonham on Tuesday confirmed a Dungeness crab season delay -- but only until Nov. 22, not Nov. 23, as originally proposed. The delay should help protect humpback and blue whales from potential gear entanglement, the agency said.

The Central California season that usually opens Nov. 15 south of the Mendocino/Sonoma County line typically heralds a holiday season that many San Francisco-area count on for their Thanksgiving dinners and that fishermen see as a good paycheck before Christmas. It also signals...

LISTEN: GAPP's First Annual Meeting; OCEAN Research Act; King Crab Market Analysis and More!

Join SeafoodNews Podcast hosts Lorin Castiglione and Ryan Doyle as they discuss the first annual meeting of the Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers; the OCEAN Research Act; the ASMFC finding Virginia's menhaden fishery out of compliance; a look at the king crab market and Amazon's new offer for free grocery delivery!

This episode is brought to you by COMTELL, which will be receiving a complete redesign in 2020. Subscribers who utilize COMTELL to track market quotations, analyze trends and stay on top of key industry news...

Study: European Shore Crab Disease Poses Threat to Shellfish Stocks

Shore crabs carry parasites that pose a major threat to shellfish stocks, according to a new study by Swansea University researchers. The scientists used several different detection methods, including taking DNA from seawater, to build up the first comprehensive picture of the problem.

The common European shore crab is native to the UK, Ireland and the northeast Atlantic. It shares this habitat with lots of species that are commercially very important, such as the edible crab and langoustines, according to ...

Large Players Purchase Majority of Quota During Russian Crab Auctions

More than RUB 142 billion (US$2.22 billion) were allocated to the Russian federal budget as a result of recently completed crab auctions in the country, according to recent statements of producers, which participated in the auctions, and some Russian media reports.

As a result of the auctions 35 out of 41 lots, (which were initially put up for sale), were distributed, while each lot provides quotas for crab catch for the 15-year period. The companies will start crab catch under new quotas from 2020...

Russia May Propose Revision to Existing US-USSR Maritime Border Agreement

Russia may revise the existing U.S.-USSR agreement on the maritime border, which was signed on July 1, 1990, and established a demarcation line of economic zones and the continental shelf between Russia (as the successor to the USSR) and the U.S. in the Bering and Chukchi Seas, and territorial waters in a small section of the Bering Strait, according to some leading Russian state officials.

Signing of that agreement has led to serious losses to the Russian fishing industry since that time, they said, ...

China’s National Day Stimulates Sales of Some Seafood But Not All

This Chinese National Day has seen a bustling seafood market at home, and new-generation consumers seem more willing to pay for quality seafood or previously elite ones. This in turn has pushed upward prices of some seafood and brought greater sales, though there are a few that have seen contraction in both prices and sales.

According to statistics from Alibaba, turnover in its Hema stores has risen about 30% during the holiday. And all top 10 sales products were seafood items, while mantis shrimps, ...

NMFS Publishes Proposed Habitat Designation for Pacific Humpback Whales

The federal government this week published a proposed rule designating 302,961 square nautical miles as critical habitat for three populations of humpback whales off the West Coast and Alaska.

The NMFS announcement follows a court-approved agreement with the Center for Biological Diversity, Turtle Island Restoration Network and Wishtoyo Foundation to issue new protections. The groups sued the Trump administration for failing to protect two Pacific Ocean humpback populations listed as endangered and a third as threatened ...

Cantwell Pushes for Changes to Fisheries Disaster Process, Presses NOAA on Pebble Mine

At a Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing last week on fisheries disasters, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., the Ranking Member of the committee, highlighted the importance of responding to fisheries disasters and pushed for reforms to the process.

“In Washington, fisheries are a cornerstone of our maritime economy," Cantwell said in her remarks. "Its related businesses and seafood processors, ship builders, gear manufacturers, support 60% of our maritime economy, which is about 146,000 jobs and $30 billion in economic activity. Washington has ...

Crab Surveys for 2019 Show Mostly Lower Numbers

Alaska crab news is discouraging for all but Bering Sea snow crab.

Members of the North Pacific Council’s crab plan team revealed results of annual summer surveys at a meeting last week in Seattle.

Weeks earlier crabbers were told there would be a red king crab fishery at Bristol Bay but likely less than last season’s 4.3 million pound catch. Jake Jacobsen is director of the Inter-cooperative Exchange.

“We’ve been told that we will have a Bering Sea red king crab season. We don’t know what the TAC will be..."

Under New Quota Auction Plan, Russian Crab Industry Consolidation, Monopolization Will Increase

The Russian crab industry continues to gradually move toward consolidation and monopolization, reflected by the recent changes of rules for the conduction of auctions in the industry, according to recent statements of some leading Russian fishermen and industry analysts.

As part of these plans, a new method for calculating the initial value of lots for crab auctions in Russia has been recently proposed and already sparked criticism from the majority of the industry’s players.

According to German Zverev, president of the All-Russian Association of Fishery Enterprises...

Kamchatka Salmon, Crab Harvests May be on Downward Swing This Year

The Kamchatka region, one of Russia’s major fish-producing regions, may face a significant decline of crab and salmon harvest this year, due to the reduction of stocks, according to recent statements of representatives of local authorities and experts in the field of fishing.

According to the latest data published by the Kamchatka government, since the beginning of the region's salmon fishing season on June 1, the volume of its catch has declined by almost 30% compared to the same period last year...

Fish Catches, Prices, Sales by AK Region

This is Alaska Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch.

One click takes you to a site that can tell you all everything about fish prices and landings for every Alaska species by region, how much was processed into what products, and what processors bought and sold it for.

It’s called the Commercial Fisheries Statistics and Data page on the Department of Fish and Game website and it extends back to 1984.

For salmon, charts and graphs show historical harvest rankings by the numbers of fish, the poundages and average prices for...