ANALYSIS: Blue Swimming Crab Meat Market Remains Firm

The crab meat market continues to see firming prices on all grades, especially the larger ones. Upward pricing pressure remains due to ever increasing replacement costs.  

In Indonesia, the top supplier of blue swimming crab meat, holding over a 54 percent market share, market participants continue to report that competition for product remains high. Cost for raw material in this top producing country is reported to be rising. Inventories are thin as many importers let their supplies in the U.S. dwindle given the lack of demand at foodservice throughout the country...

It's Official: Primary West Coast Dungeness Season Delayed

As Thanksgiving nears and more deckhands and crabbers get their gear ready for deployment, Tri-state Dungeness crab fishery managers from Washington, Oregon and California agreed a delay in the crab season is warranted.

The delay extends from Point Arena, California, north to the U.S./Canada border through at least Dec. 15.

"This decision was based on crab condition tests conducted by WDFW, ODFW and CDFW which shows that test areas do not currently meet the minimum meat recovery criteria at multiple sites across the region," the Washington ...

JAPAN: The Season’s First Opilio Snow Crab Auction Hit 2.5 Million Yen

Opilio snow crab fishing opened on November 6 in the water west of Toyama Prefecture in the Sea of Japan. Snow crab fishing has become wide open along with the area north of the Sea of Japan, which began in October. Everybody in the industry worried about the adverse effects of the new coronavirus. However, probably because of the Go-To campaign effect that supports eating and drinking and tourism, demand is higher than usual at restaurants, souvenir shops, inns, and hotels on the Sea of Japan side...

Early Domoic Acid/Meat Quality Results Show Mixed Options for West Coast Dungeness Crab

The Oregon Department of Agriculture released domoic acid results from the northernmost zones in Oregon Thursday and they're cause for limited optimism: all the crab were well below the action limit of 30 parts per million.

The crab for zones A and B were landed on Nov. 9; other crab also landed that day from zones C, D, K and L are pending results. Crab from other zones were landed on successive days of Nov. 10, Nov. 11 and Nov. 12. Processors are ...

Russian Crab Producers to Strengthen Their Presence in U.S. Market

Russian crab producers plan to continue to strengthen their presence in the U.S. market in years to come. That will take place through the increase of their exports and more active competition with leading local players.  

As part of these plans, particular hopes of Russian fishermen are put on the increase of supplies of opilio crab to the U.S. According to some Russian and U.S. media reports, for the eight months of the current year more than 12,000 tonnes of Russian opilio crab were supplied to the U.S...

ANALYSIS: Russia Increases its Market Share for Snow Crab; YTD Imports Up 96.4 Percent 

The market share for Russian snow crab has increased from 18 percent in 2019 to a robust 28 percent in 2020. With the U.S.’s seemingly insatiable demand for snow crab even during a pandemic, increased imports of Russian snow crab have been well received.  

This additional product is combined with a crab season out of Canada in which the U.S market has seen the highest volume of imported snow crab year-to-date since 2017...

Local Dungeness Crab for Thanksgiving in California? Not This Year

Crabbers hoped for a traditional Nov. 15 start date for the Central California Dungeness season but the state and fishermen urged caution due to the presence of whales in the area. On Tuesday, California Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Charlton H. Bonham agreed, delaying the season until Dec. 1 at the earliest.

“While no one wants to delay the season, CDFW and the [California Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group] feel a delay is necessary to reduce the risk of entanglement,” Bonham said in a statement. “The fleet ...

So Far, So Good: Early Tests Show Promise for California Crab Season

As the West Coast prepares for another winter Dungeness crab season with new rules, a little bright spot has appeared: very low domoic acid levels in California crab.

The California Department of Public Health released testing results last week that showed only one crab off of San Francisco with a level higher than 30 parts per million, at 46 ppm. More areas have yet to be tested.

Still, the results are good news for fishermen and processors hoping for a Nov. 15 start for the Central Califorinia or "San ...

LISTEN: Qingdao Coronavirus Update; CBP's Determination on Minh Phu; Seafood Analysis and More

Join SeafoodNews Podcast co-hosts Amanda Buckle and Lorin Castiglione as they talk about the CBP's determination that Minh Phu evaded antidumping duty orders on frozen shrimp from India; the recent success of Boston lobsters in China; a new study revealing that shoppers are buying seafood to stay healthy; and the latest detection of coronavirus on packaging of frozen seafood. Plus, listen for a pangasius and king crab analysis from UB market reporters.

This week's episode is brought to you by Urner Barry's COMTELL...

ANALYSIS: King Crab Demand Improving During Pandemic

Upward pricing pressure continues to mount as supplies in the market for king crab remain extremely tight and inventories very thin. Supplies around the world are very light and reported demand continues to be insatiable. 

Imports released for August 2020 show a year-to-date slight decrease overall for king crab and more specifically a 0.6 percent decrease out of Russia, the dominant supplier of king crab to the U.S. market. Looking further at the breakdown between red, blue, and golden king crab from Russia...

Seafood Sales Stay Strong During Pandemic

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

One unexpected constant amid the Covid uncertainties is that people continue to buy and cook more seafood.

Since March, when the pandemic led to lockdowns in the U.S. and elsewhere, consumer buying habits have busted several long held beliefs, including that Americans are reluctant to cook seafood at home.

A poll of major retailers by the Global Aquaculture Alliance is consistent with other surveys - evidence of the seafood-at-home craze is overwhelming. One U.S. supermarket chain reported a 40 percent increase in salmon and shrimp..

China’s Domestic Seafood Sales Rebound, Though the Country Still Faces Challenges in Seafood Trade

With the ending of fishing off-season, foodies in China seem more eager to buy seafood. And this eagerness will help revive the country’s domestic seafood market, which has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Though China’s seafood trade is facing a much slower recovery, many domestic ones have seen an increase either in prices or sales due to greater demand.

According to Wang, a fisherman from China’s southern Fujian province, his recent sales of domestic seafood is close to that of last year, however...

Bering Sea Crab a Go for Red Kings, Tanners, Snow Crab

This is Alaska Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – Bering Sea crabbers can drop pots in three fisheries.

Bering Sea crabbers will drop pots for king crab, snow crab and bairdi Tanners when the fisheries get underway on October 15. The Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game announced the catch quotas late Friday.

As expected, the catch was reduced for red king crab taken in the eastern Bering Sea waters of Bristol Bay – just 2.648 million pounds is a 30 percent drop from the 3.8 million pounds taken last season...

The Winding Glass: Alaska Snow Crab Quota up 11 Million Lbs., Won't Change Dynamic of Oversold Market

The Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game announced the 2020/2021 crab quotas late Friday afternoon.

Mostly the results confirmed industry expectations, although snow crab increases where lower than hoped.

For red king crab, the precarious nature of the stock has led to a cut of 1.15 million lbs, which is 30% below the 3.8 million pounds quota set in 2019.

The stock has been on a long term decline, and earlier management strategies would have completely closed the fishery...

Wild Alaskan Company Now Offering Alaskan Snow Crab Legs For Members

Direct-to-consumer sustainable seafood membership company Wild Alaskan Company announced this week that they have expanded their offerings to include sustainably-caught Alaskan Snow Crab legs.

Wild Alaskan Company is a monthly seafood membership that delivers wild-caught, sustainable seafood to your door. Right now the company has three offerings: the Wild Salmon Box, which features 6 oz. portions of wild salmon; the Wild Combo Box, which includes an assortment of portion sizes, cuts and species of wild salmon and wild white fish...

Louisiana Governor Requests Federal Disaster Declaration for Fisheries Impacted by Hurricane Laura

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards has sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross to request a federal fishery disaster to be declared following Hurricane Laura.

Hurricane Laura, a deadly and damaging Category 4 Atlantic hurricane, made landfall in Louisiana in late August, bringing with it sustained winds of 150 mph. According to reports, Hurricane Laura tied the 1856 Last Island hurricane as the strongest hurricane on record to make landfall in the state.

The hurricane did substantial damage to...

Alaska Fishing Updates For November 2020

This is Alaska Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – Lots of fishing continues across Alaska.

A preliminary wrap up of Alaska’s 2020 salmon fishery shows that communities will be hurting in terms of fish tax revenues this coming year. The value of salmon landings is down by half or much more in every region of Alaska, compared to 2019.

The total Alaska catch of just under 117 million salmon was down 44%  and the value that barely topped $295 million was a 56% decrease, when adjusting for inflation the lowest value since 2006... 

States Record Dungeness Crab Quality Tests; Some Areas Still Low

The last few Oregon and California Dungeness crab meat quality tests from Round 1 were posted Friday and the domoic acid results from the remaining areas in Oregon are expected later this week.

Of the three California areas, two of them had crab above the quality threshold, at 26.8% for Crescent City and 24.8% for Eureka. However, both had fewer than 300 pounds of crab landed. A Trinidad-area test  must be completed.

The results were similar in Oregon, with some ...

E-commerce Companies in China See Greater Seafood Sales With Prolonged Double 11

China’s e-commerce industry has decided to prolong this year’s Double 11 shopping spree to further fasten market revival. Some industry giants, like JD, have started the online carnival on October 21. And thanks to enthusiastic buyers, they have enjoyed noticeable increase in sales since the starting point.

As statistics show, fresh food sales of JD has jumped by 165% in this late October compared with that of September. And some imported seafood have been among the biggest winners during the event...

LISTEN: September Shrimp and Lobster Imports; Snow Crab Update and More

Join SeafoodNews Podcast co-hosts Amanda Buckle and Lorin Castiglione as they talk about September shrimp and lobster imports. Plus, the latest news on the tilapia and snow crab markets.

This week's episode is brought to you by Urner Barry's COMTELL. Urner Barry continues to build upon the value COMTELL offers customers with new features and improvements consistently being added to the platform. We are excited to announce three new widgets for the COMTELL dashboard, designed to increase efficiency and expand on the amount of information available...

Russian 2021 Crab Quotas Released

An early holiday gift arrived this past week for crab lovers!  The 2021 Russian crab Total allowable catch for 2021 has been released and shows that the crab resource in both the Far East and Barents Sea remains strong.  The combined Far East and Barents Sea crab fishery increasing 1.5% in 2021 to over 100mm M/t (220mm lbs.). The Red king crab quota increased 3.8%, Blue king crab 3% and Opilio snow crab increasing 8%.  The increases in Red king crab and Opilio snow crab were from the Barents Sea fishery...

Kodiak Gets No Tanners for 2021; Wraps Best Dungie Season in 3 Decades

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

There was some slim hope that a small Tanner crab fishery could occur in January for westward region crabbers, which includes Kodiak, Chignik and the South Peninsula.

The summer survey indicated there might be enough mature male crabs to sustain a 2021 fishery. But after crunching all the data, it was not meant to be. Crabbers are in a gap year between a 2013 Tanner year class that’s pretty much tapped out while awaiting a 2018 cohort that’s...

Whole Foods Releases Their Predictions for Top 10 Food Trends For 2021

What will be the hottest food trends in 2021? Whole Foods is predicting "epic breakfasts," the rise of the chickpea, and much more.

For the past six years the retailer has been turning to their global buyers and experts to predict food trends for the new year. In 2018 Whole Foods Market predicted that 2019 would be the year of seaweed snacks. The following year they highlighted sophisticated kid's menus, consisting of things like salmon fish sticks from Happy Fish Salmon and Serenity Kids' 100%...

Test Fishery for Golden King Crab at Prince William Sound

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

Fishermen and state managers are testing the waters for another crab fishery at Prince William Sound.

Now through the end of November, they will drop pots for golden king crab. That fishery has been closed since 1989 and the last survey on the stock was in 2006. But stakeholders say they are seeing signs of increased abundance. 

“We believe that there is some golden king crab out there and our stakeholders proposed a few things at the last Board of Fish...

Russian Crab Producers May be Forced to Look for Alternative Sale Markets in Short-term

Leading Russian crab producers will be forced to look for alternative sale markets in the short-term, due to the ever-tightening pricing pressure from China and the existing weak demand for crabs in the domestic market, according to recent statements, made by some independent Russian analysts in the field of fishing and representatives of producers.

According to Nikolay Ponomarev, a senior analyst from the Russian Center of Applied Researches and Programs, in regard to China, in recent years...

More Than 500 IUU Chinese Ships in the Yellow Sea Inside Korean EEZ

According to Hokkaido Trawl Fisheries Cooperative Federation, more than 500 Chinese fishing boats are engaging in illegal operations in the Korean EEZ in the Yellow Sea, targeting blue crabs.

Chinese fishing vessels illegally entered the Korean Yellow Sea EEZ by forming a fleet of dozens at a time. Korean Coast Guard (KCG) ships responded with water cannons, but some Chinese boats displayed a counter-attack. KCG revealed that it might actively use firearms in the future.

The water is a good fishing ground for...

Challenges and Opportunity on King and Snow Crab During National Seafood Month

October is National Seafood Month and retail's Albertsons/Safeway is promoting heavily as well as Kroger and others. This is an appropriate time to look forward and plan for the holidays in light of expected limited resources and solid consumer demand for crab.

Inventories are limited on a number of items and sizes, demand is up, and competition from international live and processed crab markets reduce the amount and increase prices of replacement product. Prices of king and snow crab continue to increase and are now at...

True North Seafood Partners With Ocean Wise Seafood Program

True North Seafood, the flagship brand of family owned Cooke Inc., announced that they have partnered with the Ocean Wise Seafood program. 

Ocean Wise works with restaurants, markets, food services and seafood suppliers to ensure that they have the most current scientific information regarding sustainable seafood, whether it be farmed or wild. The goal of the program is to help people make ocean-friendly buying decisions. 

True North’s wild caught bay scallops, sea scallops, sockeye salmon, pink salmon, chum salmon, coho salmon, Dungeness crab, Pacific cod, pollock and...

ANALYSIS: Demand Picks Up for Larger Grades of Blue Swimming Crab Meat

The blue swimming crab meat market has remained somewhat stagnant for most of 2020, and before that, most of 2019. Individual inventory positions on all of the grades of crab meat were generally high coming off of a large upswing during the first half of 2018. From the summer of 2018 through most of 2019, the jumbo lump market for blue crab meat, along with many of the other grades, adjusted lower throughout most of that time period...

Carthage Crabs Enters Joint Venture With Azzure Mar Seafood Products To Expand Line in US Market

Carthage Crabs, a New Jersey-based supplier of Mediterranean Blue Swimming Crab and Seafood from Tunisia and Morocco, announced on Tuesday that they have entered into a joint venture with Azzure Mar Seafood Products. The joint venture allows Carthage Crabs to expand their product line in the U.S. market.

"We are very excited and confident that, with their extensive experience including a national salesforce, working with Azzure will produce a very successful joint venture...