Prevalence of Whales Suggests San Francisco Crab Season Delay as Port Pushes Dock Sales

The California Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group will meet Wednesday to review preliminary state findings suggesting a delay in the Central California season opening.

The Central California or "San Francisco" season traditionally opens on Nov. 15. However, the presence of whales and other factors may mean customers hungry for fresh Dungeness may have to wait until later in the year. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife director will conduct an assessment of marine life entanglement risk for the commercial Dungeness crab ...

Oregon Adopts Dungeness Crab Management Plan, First FMP on the West Coast

The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted regulations last week for implementing the Oregon Dungeness Crab Fishery Management Plan, the first Dungeness crab fishery management plan to be developed on the West Coast.

The FMP describes the status of Dungeness crab and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's management of two commercial crab fisheries, bay and ocean, and the recreational crab fishery in the bays and ocean.

Dungeness crab is an iconic Oregon species and forms the economic backbone of commercial activity along the coast, including ...

California Shows Overwhelming Support for Change in Dungeness Crab/Domoic Acid Rules

Overwhelming bipartisan support in California's Legislature this year will allow the Dungeness and rock crab fisheries to continue bringing products to market, despite events related changing ocean conditions.

SB 80, a bill co-sponsored by the California Fisheries and Seafood Institute and introduced by Sen. Mike McGuire, D-North Coast, was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday, Oct. 9, according to a post on CFSI website.

The new law will allow the Department of Public Health to allow processing of crab when domoic acid levels ...

Bering Sea Snow Crab Harvest Cut by Almost 90% After Population Takes Major Dip

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) announced the 2021-22 Bering Sea snow crab fishery total allowable catch (TAC), with the total dropping 88% from the last fishing season.

In all, the TAC for snow crab in the Bering Sea is 5.6 million pounds, down from 45 million pounds allocated in the previous season.

In September, summer survey results found mature male snow crab in the Bering sea plummeted by 55%, as Laine Welch wrote in her Fish Factor column...

Alaska’s Crabbers Urge NPFMC to Act Immediately to Protect Bering Sea Crab Stocks

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (NPFMC) October meeting formally opens tomorrow, but advisory bodies have been meeting since last week. They have heard an earful from fishermen, processors, research scientists and stock assessment experts.

Jake Jacobsen, Executive Director of the Inter-Cooperative Exchange (ICE) summarized the concern of many in his comment letter.

“The health of the opilio stocks and the long-term future of the fishery is our primary concern. While we have many questions and concerns related to the scope of the summer trawl ...

Crisis in the North Pacific: Bering Sea Snow Crab Stocks Fall Sharp and Fast

Scientists and the industry as a whole got a shocking look at survey numbers for snow crab late last week and heard a discussion on it yesterday during the first day of the week-long Crab Planning Team. Declining numbers of snow crab compared to 2019, when the last survey was taken, have scientists, managers, and industry members grappling with the numbers they have and the far larger set of information they don't have.

Male snow crab abundance in the eastern Bering Sea is down 70% from ...

Alaska Red King Crab Season Closed & Russian Red King Quota Reduced

The Delta variant impacted the service industry hard in August resulting in the economy gaining only 235,000 jobs vs. the expected 720,000.  Hotels, restaurants, bars, and other food services shed 41,500 jobs in August as service industries pulled back.  There were steady increases in the hospitality & food service sectors in the months leading up to August and the loss of jobs is a surprise.  On the other hand there were gains in professional and business service, manufacturing, warehousing, as well as  sectors where people could work remotely...

ODFW Releases Whale Entanglement Conservation Plan for Crab Fishery

After several years and many discussions with crabbers and the seafood industry, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is formally moving forward on decreasing whale entanglements in the Dungeness crab fishery.

The agency on Wednesday released its draft conservation plan addressing marine life entanglement in commercial Dungeness crab fishing gear along the Oregon coast.

Over the past six years, ODFW has actively worked with industry and other partners to address marine life entanglements in Oregon's crab and other fisheries, the agency said ...

Record King and Snow Crab Imports - What Crab Supplies Remain for the Year?

The U.S. gross domestic product grew at an annualized 6.5% through the second quarter of 2021. That rate lifted the GDP above its pre-pandemic peak and clearly demonstrates a V shaped economic recovery, defined as a period of economic decline with a trough and then a rapid recovery. The labor market is strong. Employers added 943,000 jobs in July, higher than expected, and unemployment dropped from 5.9% to 5.4%. Consumer spending in the second quarter advanced at a solid 1.8%...

Russian Crab Company Reaches 57% of 2021 Quota in First Six Months

The Russian Crab Company shared performance results for the first half of 2021 and the company said it has reached 57% of its 2021 crab quota.

During the first six months, the Company harvested 7.4 thousand tons of crab. According to a release, it has the right to harvest 12.86 thousand tons of crab for the entire year.

The company said it has strengthened its presence in the live and cooked and frozen products markets. Sales volume jumped 35% compared to the same period of last year...

AK Crab Shells Make Yarns and Fibers Bio-Friendly

This is Alaska Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – Alaska crab shells make fibers bio-friendly.

Most people are unaware that our carpets, clothing, car seats, mattresses, even mop heads – are coated with metals, like copper and aluminum, and chemicals. The yarns and fabrics are routinely dosed with fire retardants, anti-odors and other things for our protection.

To the rescue: Crab shells from Alaska.

All-natural Tidal-Tex treatments are being applied instead of metals and chemicals at Leigh Fibers in South Carolina, one of the...

ANALYSIS: Crab Meat Continues its Climb

The current pasteurized crab meat market for both blue and red swimming crabs remains under upward pricing pressure and the market saw adjustments higher throughout this past week. These increases in the quotations are at all-time high prices, and this market has seen continual steep inclines since the beginning of 2021. The market has raced higher, especially on blue swimming crab meat. Presently the market is in one of the higher, if not the highest, demand period of the year. During the summer season...

VIDEO: King Crab Prices Up; EO Promotes Competition; Atlantic Sapphire Mortality; And More

Join SeafoodNews Weekly Video co-hosts Amanda Buckle and Lorin Castiglione as they break down the biggest stories of the week, including rising king crab pricing; the new Executive Order promoting competition in the American economy; Atlantic Sapphire's recent mortality incident; and WWF-Hong Kong encouraging diners to avoid Boston lobsters.

This episode of the SeafoodNews Weekly Video is brought to you by the latest issue of Urner Barry’s Reporter magazine! The Summer 2021 issue is out now and jam packed with with great insight from...

King and Snow Crab Demand in 2021 is Inelastic!

Instead of emerging poorer following the coronavirus pandemic, many Americans came out ahead.  According to the Federal Reserve $13.5 trillion was added in wealth last year which was the largest increase in three decades. While the scope of the pandemic was unprecedented, so was the governmental response of borrowing, lending, and spending trillions of dollars to support business and individuals.

While the those with higher income jobs did the best, people who had less in their pockets also came out ahead.  JP Morgan chase reported this past week that...

Market Trends to Watch Ahead of Independence Day

Urner Barry is the leading provider of protein market news and information in the food industry. Through daily canvasses of the trade and an unrivaled historical database, our analysts are uniquely positioned to report on the underlying conditions and significant disruptors to the market. In this Market Briefing, Urner Barry reporters outline the latest action in the commodity protein markets, highlighting seasonal factors, disruptors, and current supply and demand fundamentals.

Access the latest UB Market Briefing HERE.  

State Shutdown Threatens Alaska Salmon, Crab Fisheries

This is Alaska Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – Impacts to Alaska’s fisheries from a looming July 1 state shutdown. 

Pink slips have gone out to 15,000 state workers as a state shutdown looms on July 1. The impasse stems from lawmakers and Governor Dunleavy not agreeing on a budget. A sticking point is the amount of Alaskans’ annual Permanent Fund Dividend check, or PFD.  

The potential showdown has Alaska fishery managers in a holding pattern -

“Our instructions at this point are to just maintain operations...

Fishing Updates, October 2021 – Dungies Now AK’s Largest Crab Fishery

Bering Sea fisheries for 5.6 million pounds of snow crab and 1.1 million pounds for Tanners open today/October 15 but dropping pots typically doesn’t occur until January. That could change with the huge demand for crab combined with the cancellation of the Bristol Bay red king crab fishery.

Golden king crab has been ongoing along the Aleutian Islands since August with a quota of about 6 million pounds.

It’s hard to believe, but Dungeness is now Alaska’s largest crab fishery. Combined catches so far this year...

Crab Closures, Cutbacks in Bering Sea

The catch for snow crab - Alaska’s largest Bering Sea crab fishery – has been slashed to just 5.6 million pounds for the upcoming season, down 88% from the previous harvest of 45 million pounds.

Just three years ago, managers were touting a huge snow crab cohort poised to enter the fishery. But this summer’s survey showed the crabs had practically disappeared. Scientists blame predation by cod, disease and a warming sea bottom that’s pushed the snow crab to deeper waters further west. They say evidence points to a downturn in population and not just...

The Russian Red King Crab Season Began September 1 in Both the Barents Sea and Russian Far East

The U.S. economic recovery is showing resilience despite the late wave of the Delta variant with people shopping more and employers hiring.  The Commerce Department reported that consumer spending rose .7% in August signaling the U.S. recovery is gaining steam heading into fall.  This despite product shortages and shipping problems.  

With the closure of the Alaska Red king crab season for 2021 the focus moves to the Russian Fishery. For those who need Red king crab they must look to importers and marketers...

Tanner Crab Coming on Strong in the GOA, 2022 Fishery Looks Likely in Several Regions

Bering Sea crab stocks are in dire straits but that’s not the case in the Gulf of Alaska.

A huge Tanner crab cohort that biologists have been tracking in the Westward region for three years showed up again in this summer’s survey. 

“We were optimistic, and we did find them again this year. So pretty much all the way across the board here from Kodiak all the way out to False Pass, essentially, we found those crab again and in good quantity...

Fish Factor: Bering Sea Crab Stocks Take Substantial Dip

Alaska’s Bering Sea crabbers are reeling from the devastating news last week that all major crab stocks are down substantially, based on summer survey results, and the Bristol Bay red king crab fishery will be closed for the first time in over 25 years.

That stock has been on a steady decline for several years and the 2020 harvest dwindled to just 2.6 million pounds.

Most shocking was the drastic turn-around for snow crab stocks, which in 2018 showed a 60% boost in market-sized male crabs...

Bristol Bay Red King Crab Season Closes For First Time in 25 Years

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced today that the Bristol Bay red king crab fishery (BBRKC) will be closed for the 2021/22 season because there are too few mature females to sustainably open the fishery. 

The fishery was last closed over 25 years ago in 1994-1995. This year's survey and preliminary stock assessment model information show that mature female abundance continued on its 12-year downward trend and dipped below the 8.4 million animal threshold to open the fishery.

Bristol Bay Red King ...

New Grant to OSU Aims to Decrease Injuries to Dungeness Crab Fishermen

It's no secret that the Dungeness crab fishery off the West Coast is dangerous - winter weather and bar crossings have caused many vessel sinkings over the years.

But injuries are different and some, especially to the crewmen running the block, may be preventable. A new grant to Oregon State University will allow researchers t to study how different equipment configurations onboard crab vessels could help prevent injuries to fishermen, according to a press release.

The $895,000 grant from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health will ...

Norway Seafood Import Value Jumps 21% in July 2021; Continues to Rise Above 2020 Totals

The Norwegian Seafood Council shared the notable 21% jump in seafood export value for the country in July 2021 when compared to a year ago. For the month, Norway exported NOK 9.5 billion (US$1.08 billion) NOK 1.6 billion above July 2020.

"Measured by value, this July is the best ever for Norwegian seafood exports. Salmon continues its growth trajectory from June, while we have also experienced a sharp increase in exports of snow crab and king crab," said Tom-Jørgen Gangsø, Director of...

Vietnam COVID-19 Spike Hits Seafood Processors, Causes Problems at Ports 

Vietnam is the latest country to enact emergency restrictions following a new spike in COVID-19 cases. 

Vietnam has been reporting over 4,000 new cases daily since July 15. On July 18 the number of new reported cases reached a whopping 4,853. Now, all provinces in the Mekong Delta region are applying “Directive 16” of the Vietnam government to tackle the rising cases of COVID. Directive 16 mandates the closures of non-essential businesses and restaurants. According to the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Vietnam...

NFI Red Crab Council Renew Contract to Keep China Red Crab FIP Intact

The National Fisheries Institute’s Red Crab Council and partners, Ocean Outcomes (O2) and Tao Ran, have renewed their annual contract to keep a Red Crab Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) on track.

“For a number of years the Red Crab fishery has faced adversity from things like the pandemic, the market and tariffs,” said Newport International President Anjan Tharakan, the NFI Red Crab Council Chair. “But none of the companies we partner with, and certainly not O2 nor Tao Ran...

Russia Considers Auctioning 50% of Remaining Crab Quotas     

The Russian federal budget may receive about RUB 200 billion (US$2.6 billion) from the sales of crab quotas and other seafood on the auctions, which are planned for the next several years, according to recent statements made by Ilya Shestakov, head of the Russian Federal Agency of Fisheries (Rosrybolovstvo) and some local media reports.   

As part of the auctions, 50% of the overall quotas for crab catch in Russia will be put up for sale. The overall value of these quotas is estimated at RUB 140 billion...

ANALYSIS: The Climb Continues for King Crab, Snow Crab Prices

There continues to be no relief in sight for rising King Crab pricing as all sizing remains at all-time highs. Even with imports 45.8% higher through May 2021 as compared to the same time last year, the market remains tight, and demand is active and continues to fall short of buyers’ full-needs.

May 2021 is the first-month imports have dipped below the 3-year average in 5 months; year-to-date imports are still higher, but this month is trending below...

Alaska Fishing Updates for July 2021

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

July brings lots of fishing updates from Southeast Alaska to the Bering Sea.

The biggest fish story so far is at Bristol Bay where hauls of sockeye salmon neared two million fish on each of two days last week. The Bay’s red salmon catch so far is at nearly 12 million fish.

We’ll update more Alaska salmon catches tomorrow. 

In other fisheries: Catches for Dungeness crabbers in Southeast were going slow so far for 163 boats, but prices of $4.20 a pound are more than...

Russia May Face Decline of Crab Catch This Year  

Russia may face a shortage of some crab species this year due to the recent ban on the catch of blue and king crab in the Sea of Japan.  

Several days ago, the Russian Ministry of Agriculture officially imposed a ban on the catch of both crab species in the Primorye subarea until the end of 2022. The main reason for this was a significant intensification of poaching activities in the region, which posed a threat to the existing crab stocks...