Facing the Unthinkable, Bering Sea Crabbers Go to Feds and State as Council Gets Underway
Last updated at 11:24 a.m. PDT

The stakes could not be higher for Bering Sea crab fishermen and processors as they face a second year of low survey numbers and high uncertainty in population models. Last year with a closure of Bristol Bay red king crab (BBRKC) the fleet lost $200 million in ex-vessel prices. The cost of lost revenue to processors, communities and businesses and schools within them, and markets is not included in that number. 

Snow crab has all but ...

Russia: Analysts Expect Growth of King Crab Population in Arctic Seas

The population of Kamchatka crab is steadily growing in the Arctic seas of Russia and other countries of the region amid the conditions of global warming and the ongoing climate change.  

During the 1960s, these crabs were delivered to the Barents Sea from the Far East. Thirty years later, the volume of their reserves allowed to start their commercial fishing in the Northern Basin.  

In the case of Russia, the volume of king crab has been steadily growing in recent years. In Norway the local authorities were unhappy...

ANALYSIS: Canadian Snow Crab Prices Begin Rebound

The Canadian snow crab market in the U.S. looks to have bounced off its 52-week lows which were seen mid-August. The past four to five weeks has seen both the Newfoundland and Gulf 5-8 and 8-up market rebound from those lows. Each has trended higher since mid-August, up 3.3 percent and 5.3 percent respectively. Market activity is reported to be improved from where things sat several weeks ago.

With that being said, individual inventory positions continue to look to vary greatly in...

Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Adds American Lobster, Canadian Snow Crab to Red List

It’s official. The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program has added over a dozen fisheries, including the American lobster and Canadian snow crab to its “Red List” citing the threats they pose to endangered North Atlantic right whale.

“After reviewing all available scientific data, as well as existing legal requirements and regulations, Seafood Watch determined that current Canadian and U.S. management measures do not go far enough to mitigate entanglement risks and promote recovery of the North Atlantic right whale. As a result, Seafood Watch...

Live Opilio Trucked 2000 Kilometers From Murmansk to Moscow, Intending for Distribution to Asia

Russia's major crab producer, Antey Group of Vladivostok, announced that it has successfully transported live Opilio snow crab from the Barents Sea by land from Murmansk to the capital Moscow using a highway. The United States, the country with the most significant demand, has banned Barents Sea crabs caught in the northwestern part of Russia, and Antey Group aims to divert the crabs to Asian markets. Multiple Russian media reported on August 15, according to Minato Shimbun.

This shipment was the first land transportation of live...

Russia May Increase Fees For Crab Catch by 8 Times This Year  

The Russian government may consider cancellation of the second stage of crab quotas’ distribution, which is scheduled for 2023, instead of this increasing fees for crab catch within the territory of the country by up to 8 times with the obligation for large producers to build large crab catchers.

According to Russian Kommersant business paper, such a proposal has been recently put forward by German Zverev, chairman of the Russian Association of Fish Producers (VARPE).

As an alternative for planned auctions...

The Winding Glass: Why Has The Shellfish Market Fallen So Hard?

Take a look at these two graphics. U.S. shellfish, including snow crab, lobster tail, king crab, and crabmeat, have all experienced some of their most rapid, and in some cases steepest, market declines in the past eight months.

But shrimp, by far the largest volume shellfish item, has not seen a significant price decline. Urner Barry’s value-added shrimp index has barely moved, even while the volume of U.S. shrimp imports continue to set records.

What factors made shellfish so vulnerable to a rapid correction, but didn’t apply to...

Russia: Crab Prices Fell By 50% this Year Due to Oversupply  

According to recent statements, made by representatives of some leading Russian crab producers and local media, prices for crab in Russia fell by almost half this year due to its oversupply, 

As Alexander Sapozhnikov, Director General of the Russian Crab group of companies, one of Russia’s leading crab producers, recently told local TASS newswire that crab prices in Russia fell by 40-50% in annual terms this year. He clarified, however, that the situation with the decline of crab prices is observed also...

ANALYSIS: Blue Swimming Crab Meat Continues Decline Into August

The blue swimming crab meat market continued to adjust lower throughout the week as it has since the beginning of 2022. Current pricing on blue jumbo lump is 27.5 percent lower than the beginning of the year and 13.4 percent lower than the start of the summer season. Summer has from a historical standpoint always been the more active demand period for crab meat as many users flock to the seashore and enjoy crab cakes. But with inventories tough to build during the pandemic and pricing at...

Norton Sound Red King Crab Summer Fishery Reports Record Ex-Vessel Value of $3.7 Million

The 2022 Norton Sound red king crab fishery wrapped up last week, concluding the first harvest for the summer fishery since 2019.

The season opened on June 15 and ended on July 24 with 26 permit holders participating. Alaska’s Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) reported that the open access fishery harvest was 291,553 pounds, with an additional 25,620 pounds harvested in the CDQ fishery. 

As for the ex-vessel value, ADF&G says that adjusting for inflation only the late 1979s and...

AK Bycatch Task Force Ramps Up Meeting Schedule

Begins outline of report to the governor

The Alaska Bycatch Review Task Force (ABRT) is ramping up its meeting schedule and outlining the beginnings of a report that’s due to Governor Dunleavy this fall.

The governor created the 15-member group last November. It also includes two non-voting members – Representative Bryce Edgmon of Dillingham and Senator Peter Micciche of Soldotna.

The stated goal of the ABRT is “to help better understand unintended bycatch of high value fishery resources in State and federal waters...

ANALYSIS: 5-8s at 5-Year Low; Buying Opps Up For Snow Crab

The Canadian snow crab market continued to adjust lower throughout this past week on all sizes. 5-8s adjusted down another 3.1 percent from last week and down just about 30 percent from the beginning of May 2022. Overall, market participants have reported that demand has seen some improvements as more buyers participate in buying crab this season, but many still report that movement is still nothing like it has been in past years.

Pricing is at 52-week lows and is now at...

ANALYSIS: Red Swimming Crab Meat Market Steadily Moving Lower

The red swimming crab meat market has been steadily moving lower, similar to the blue swimming crab meat market for most of the year. While not yet at 52-week lows like the blue swimming crab meat market, the red swimming crab meat market is down 14.2 percent on jumbo lump grade crab meat since the beginning of 2022.

As we observe the downward pricing pressure of the red swimming crab meat market, we notice that the pace is not as steep as...

ANALYSIS: Snow Crab Season Begins to Wrap Up Around Canada

The Canadian snow crab market saw its first week since mid-April where pricing did not fall on 5-8s. 8s and 10s were steady this week as well. The fishing season is beginning to wrap up around Canada for most areas for snow crab; the Gulf is 97 percent caught and Newfoundland is 89 percent caught as of July 1, with landings through June 29 (Newfoundland) and June 30th (Gulf).  

As we look at pricing, 5-8s out of both regions are well...

Russian Crab Company Harvested Over 6000 Tons of Crabs, Seeking Markets Other Than the U.S.

Russian Far East's largest Russian Crab Company (RCC, Vladivostok, Russia) has caught 52% of its quota this year. It has caught more than 6000 tons, which is 7% higher than the initial target, Russian media "FISHNET" reported on June 22.

According to the RCC, the company's total allowable catch quota (TAC) this year is 11,764 tons for fishing grounds in the Bering Sea, the Sea of Okhotsk, and the Sea of Japan. The breakdown of TAC is 6484 tons of opilio snow crab...

Russian Snow Crab Price Fell 50% to $19 per Kilo at Busan Auction

The third auction for the new Russian frozen snow crab (Opilio variety) in Busan, South Korea, was set in mid-June. According to the trading company, 44 tons of air blast frozen boil section products (L - 4L size single price) were put forward for bidding, and Japan and Korean trading companies won the bid. The winning bid price was $19 per kilogram, down 50% from the same month last year. Another trading company made it $18.8 million. The current internal sales price is...

Russian Fish Exporters Hope to Restore Positions in Chinese Market This Year  

Russia continues to work on the diversification of the geography of its fish exports as sanctions pressure on the country tightens.   

Despite the unprecedented pressure, which is put on the Russian fish sector this year, according to some local state officials, it still stays afloat.   

According to Russia’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture Sergey Levin, Russia currently remains one of the world’s top 10 largest exporters of fish and seafood. Last year it accounted for 4% in value terms.   

As some markets were closed for...

Blue Star Foods Extends Supply Relationship With Hospitality Procurement Provider Avendra

Following Blue Star Foods’ recent extension with Sysco Corporation, the company announced that they’ve also signed a multi-year supply contract with the privately-held Avendra.

Avendra is a leading hospitality procurement provider and works with over 8,500 customers. The Bid Award Purchase Agreement was effective this past August and is for purchase and distribution of Blue Star crab meat branded products. Blue Star’s crab meat products will now be placed into brand-name hotels and resorts, as well as convention centers, country clubs and airports throughout the U.S...

ANALYSIS: Blue Swimming Crab Meat Dips Below 2017 Levels

The blue swimming crab meat market continued to adjust lower this week and all sizes are at 52-week lows. Looking at jumbo lump, we notice that current pricing is 2 percent higher than the 5-year average; compare that to 14 percent higher only a month ago. When looking at pricing on a cyclical basis, current levels have now dipped below 2017 levels.

Heading into Labor Day, demand was reported to be dull by most, with some citing a more fair to moderate demand...

Russian Nuclear-Powered Icebreaking Freighter Transports Frozen Crab From Murmansk to Kamchatka

A nuclear-powered icebreaking container ship, which entered the port of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in the Kamchatka region from Murmansk via the Northern Sea Route, returned to the Murmansk fishing port on August 11. The ship, which carried frozen crabs on the outbound trip, carried Alaska pollack on the return trip. Atomflot, based in Murmansk, a subsidiary of the state-owned nuclear power company Rosatom, announced on the same day, reported Minato Shimbun.

In response to sanctions such as the European Union's ban on importing Russian marine products...

Crab meat headed into Norfolk up 54 percent

With crab meat imports at the highest levels seen in recent history, dating back to 2007, it is interesting to look at where the crab meat is going in the country. With challenges well documented on the West Coast, specifically into the port of L.A., it makes sense that we have seen a shift to ports away from that area. However, an area of growth that has been more dramatic has been the shift to Norfolk, VA. Norfolk year-to-date is almost on par with New York...

AK Updates: Lots of Fishing Going on Besides Salmon

Alaska’s salmon catches have slowed for the past two weeks but the pace of the fishery remains ahead of last year’s harvest.

The statewide salmon catch as of August 10 was approaching 124.4 million fish. That’s nearly 78% of the  preseason projection of 160.5 million salmon for the 2022 season.

Besides salmon, lots of other Alaska fisheries are underway from the Panhandle to the Bering Sea.

A small fleet of beam trawlers (one of the state’s oldest fisheries) is back on the water in Southeast targeting over 600,000 pounds of...

Japanese Fish Sector Continues to Bear Losses Due to Sanction Wars With Russia  

The decision of Russia to impose its countersanctions against the West and other countries has led to the growth of prices in local markets and even crisis in their fish sectors.

For example, Japan has faced serious interruptions with the supplies of salmon and its caviar, which negatively impacts its HORECA sector.

So far, most of red fish has been supplied to the country from Norway and some EU countries. However the recent closure by Russia of its airspace for the majority of transatlantic flights...

The Stars of 2021 Lights Have Dimmed - Crab, Lobster, And Scallop All Down

This summer we are finding the highly prized premium seafood are losing pace with other lower value food items, resulting in lower sales and prices. King crab, snow crab, lobster and scallops were major stars for the pandemic and all of 2021. But no longer. Consumer behavior has changed!

The U.S. buyer confidence fell for the 3rd straight month. High prices on gas, groceries, and housing are a key factor. Consumer spending, which accounts for about two-thirds of total economic output, rose only at...

Russia: Crab Prices Fell by 50% This Year Due to Oversupply

Prices for crab in Russia fell by almost half this year due to its oversupply, according to recent statements made by representatives of some leading Russian crab producers and local media.

As Alexander Sapozhnikov, Director General of the Russian Crab group of companies, one of Russia’s leading crab producers, said in an interview with local TASS newswire, crab prices in Russia fell by 40-50% in annual terms this year. He clarified, however, that the situation with the decline of crab prices is observed also in the global scale...

Albertsons Recalls Various ReadyMeals Featuring Shrimp, Crab, Surimi

Retailer Albertsons Companies announced that it recalled three ReadyMeals seafood items that were prepared in stores due to undeclared allergens.

Albertsons said the recall was initiated following an internal technical review that identified missing ingredients containing allergens.

The select ReadyMeals seafood items were available for purchase at the following Albertsons Cos. store banners: ACME, Albertsons, Andronico’s Community Markets, Balducci’s, Carrs-Safeway, Eagle, Jewel-Osco, King’s, Pak ‘N Save, Safeway, Shaw’s, Star Market and Vons.

The specified store banners are located in the following states...

Russian Crab Producers Eye Possibility of Chinese Exports 

Leading Russian crab producers are considering re-directing their supplies to the market of China and other Asia-Pacific states in years to come after the decision of the U.S. and the EU authorities to impose a ban on the crab imports from Russia.  

In case of the U.S., prior to the ban, Russia accounted for about 25% of all crab imports to the country. The closure of the US market means that Russian crab producers will have to find alternative sale markets for their products...

What's Next For Russian Crab and Seafood?

The Presidential ban on Russian crab and seafood is now in effect. This begs the question "where do we go from here?" Russia has 94% of the world king crab quota and 30% of the Opilio snow crab quota. The options to replace the loss of this source are poor. It is a fact that other world sources for king and snow crab will not be able to make up the shortfall in supply that the U.S. crab market needs going forward.

The unintended consequences of the ban on the seafood industry...

Norwegian Seafood Council Names New CEO Amid Historic Start for Seafood Exports in 2022

The Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC) appointed Christian Chramer as its CEO, via a unanimous decision by its board, per a July 1 announcement.

“We are very pleased to welcome Christian Chramer as the new CEO of the Norwegian Seafood Council. His broad management experience and strong communication skills will help to lift the Seafood Council further, and we look forward to an exciting collaboration in the future” said Deputy Chairman of the Board and Chairman of the Appointments Committee, Amund Drønen Ringdal...

Summer Crab Management in Washington Takes Effect this Weekend

This weekend is the time for outdoor barbecues, fireworks, celebrating America's independence and the start of the summer crab fishery in Washington.

While not nearly as anticipated as a welcome holiday over the Fourth of July weekend, Washington crabbers will have to adhere to new rules starting July 3. The rules are intended to protect soft-shelled crab through the end of the season and have been in place since 2015.

As of Sunday, coastal crabbers cannot possess or land crab in excess of 2,500 pounds during any weekly ...