2024 Snow Crab Landings Update For NL, Gulf and Maritimes Region As of April 19

The first snow crab landings out of Newfoundland and Labrador are finally in. 

The season out of NL was delayed for a week as harvesters refused to fish at the pricing formula selected by the Standing Fish Price Setting Panel. However, the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union and the Association of Seafood Producers finally came to an agreement early this week to get harvesters in the water. Now, landings data from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans...

Building of New Fish Trawlers and Crab Catchers is Seriously Delayed in Russia

Building of new fish trawlers and crab catchers in Russia is seriously delayed due to Western sanctions, which limit the supplies of needed on-board equipment and components.

That poses a threat for the existing agreements between Russian fishermen and the state, which provided quotas in exchange for the building of new fish trawlers and processing infrastructure.

Due to the current situation, the government is considering the extension of construction time for both fish trawlers and crab catchers. As part of these plans...

FFAW And ASP Come To Agreement To Start 2024 Snow Crab Fishery

Snow crab harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador are ready to hit the water. The Fish, Food and Allied Workers (FFAW) Union and Association of Seafood Producers (ASP) finally reached an agreement Sunday evening, ending the week-long delay to the start of the season.

Last week, ASP submitted an offer to FFAW of $3/ lb. to get harvesters in the water. The organization said that the $3/ lb. would stand for the first three weeks of the fishery before moving to the formula that...

2024 Snow Crab Landings Update For NL, Gulf and the Maritimes Region As Of April 12

It has been a week since the snow crab fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador opened, but harvesters still have yet to hit the water as the standoff over pricing continues between the Fish, Food and Allied Workers and the Association of Seafood Producers. 

Newfoundland and Labrador has the largest quota in Canada, with the total allowable catch (TAC) for this year set at 57,586 tonnes. But while snow crab has yet to be landed in NL, the fisheries in the Gulf of St. Lawrence...

Norway Achieves MSC Certification For Barents Sea Snow Crab

On April 8, Norwegian Barents Sea snow crab became Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Certified. Although the fishery will have to continue to undergo surveillance audits, the MSC Certification is good for a period of five years.

MSC Certification assessments look at stock health, environmental impacts and effective management. Global Trust Certification, a third party auditor, began reviewing the fishery for certification in 2023. Last month, Global Trust released documents stating that they believe the Norwegian snow crab fishery should be certified, and just a few weeks later the...

2024 Snow Crab Landings Update For NL, Gulf and the Maritimes Region As Of April 9

Snow crab harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador may be sitting out waiting for better prices, but the season is underway elsewhere in Canada.

According to preliminary data released by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), harvesters in the Gulf of St. Lawrence (Area 12) have landed almost 14% of the quota as of April 9. The initial quota for Area 12 — including traditional fleet (01), First Nations (02) and New Access (03) — was set at 22,236.416 t and revised to 21,756.074 t. The season opened...

NL Snow Crab Harvesters List Their Demands As Start To Season Delayed Due to Tie Up

The snow crab fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador officially opened on Saturday but harvesters remained out of the water. And they have a list of demands that they want met before heading out.

Last week the Fish, Food and Allied Workers (FFAW) Union and Association of Seafood Producers (ASP) submitted their 2024 pricing formulas to the Standing Fish Price Setting Panel for review. The Panel sided with ASP’s pricing formula, which created a minimum price of...

NL 2024 Snow Crab Price Decision Made; FFAW Harvesters Say They Won’t Fish

The Standing Fish Price Setting Panel has made a decision on the price for 2024 Newfoundland and Labrador snow crab. And just like last year, the Fish, Food and Allied Workers (FFAW) are refusing to go out on the water.

FFAW and the Association of Seafood Producers (ASP) have been negotiating a pricing formula since the start of the year. But when the two parties were unable to come to an agreement at the end of March, they were forced to...

NL Standing Fish Price Setting Panel To Meet Today To Decide 2024 Snow Crab Price

Newfoundland and Labrador’s Standing Fish Price Setting Panel is meeting today to hear final offers from snow crab harvesters and processors.

The Fish, Food and Allied Workers (FFAW) confirmed last week that they were unable to come to an agreement with the Association of Seafood Producers (ASP) about a market-based pricing formula. The formula was proposed in the Blackwood Report as a way to allow both parties to come up with a fair price for snow crab...

Blue Star Foods Begins Soft-Shell Crab Operations for 2024 Season at South Carolina Facility

Soft-shell crab operations for the 2024 season are officially underway at Blue Star Foods. The sustainable seafood company announced this week that it has started production at its South Carolina facility. 

“Our Recirculatory Aquaculture System (RAS) platform in South Carolina encompasses over 100 tanks and utilizes our proprietary Bio-Plan derived from the vast Blue Crab expertise from our team members and extensive research in this crab species,” said John Keeler, Chairman and CEO of...

FFAW, ASP Fail To Agree on Market-Based Pricing Formula For 2024 Snow Crab Season

All eyes will be turning to Newfoundland and Labrador’s Price Setting Panel next week as harvesters and processors were unable to come to an agreement on a market-based pricing formula for the 2024 snow crab season.

The Fish, Food and Allied Workers (FFAW) and the Association of Seafood Producers (ASP) began face-to-face price negotiations in late January. While that may seem early, the hope was that the two parties would be able to come to an agreement ahead of the start...

ANALYSIS: Snow Crab Insights for Mid-March 2024

The snow crab market pricing in the U.S. has remained unchanged for the past several weeks. As we head into the back end of March and the start of the Canadian snow crab season, all eyes are on Eastern Canada. Some market participants have reported that snow crab fishing will begin in Nova Scotia starting over the weekend. As is typical in Nova Scotia, with weather conditions permitting, market participants report this is a normal start time for this area.

From a historical...

Wanchese Fish Company Appoints Jack Crouch As National Sales Manager

Wanchese Fish Company has appointed Jack Crouch as National Sales Manager. Crouch joins the Virginia-based company with more than a decade of experience in seafood processing, distribution and supply chain management. 

“We’re excited to have Jack join our team and we’re confident that his experience will be instrumental in driving our national sales strategy, particularly in the Patagonian scallop, crab, and shrimp markets,” said Ross Butler, Wanchese Fish Company’s CEO.

Prior to joining Wanchese — which was purchased by Cooke Seafood USA in 2015 — Crouch worked with the...

Phillips Foods Acquires Two Canadian Plants

After months of speculation, Phillips Foods has confirmed the purchase of two Canadian lobster and snow crab plants.

Rumors started swirling in November that Phillips, which primarily focuses on blue and red swimming crab, was looking to expand with lobster and snow crab. Sources told Undercurrent at the time that Phillips was in talks to acquire Pecheries Bas-Caraquet Fisheries, a New Brunswick-based company that was founded in 2010. Then, last month, Maryland-based Phillips formed a Canadian subsidiary as reports indicated that the company was close to purchasing South Shore Seafoods...

Russian Crab Imports: China's Live Up 50%, Japan's Frozen Snow Crab Up 20%

China's imports of live and fresh crabs from Russia increased by 50% to over 30,000 tons.

According to Minato Shimbun, in 2023, China's imports of live and fresh crabs from Russia increased by 50% (approximately 10,000 tons) from the previous year to 30,105 tons. According to statistics from the China General Administration of Customs, this was the highest number since records began in 2015. A Japanese trading company said, "It's shocking that the number of king crabs has increased by 10,000 tons...

REPORT: Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence Snow Crab Quota To Be Slashed In 2024

According to reports, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has come up with a preliminary quota for the 2024 Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence snow crab fishery. While the official quota for the upcoming season has yet to be released, a screenshot from a presentation made by the DFO last week shows that the catch for the areas in the Southern Gulf will likely be slashed by about 27%.

In 2023, the DFO set the quota for the area at 35,743.83 t...

Peter Pan Halts Operations For Summer And Winter Production Cycles For The “Foreseeable Future”

Peter Pan Seafood’s fate has been up in the air since the company announced in January that it would be closing its King Cove plant for the winter fisheries of cod, whitefish and crab. Now, the company has confirmed that it will be “halting operations at its processing plants, leading to the discontinuation of both summer and winter production cycles for the foreseeable future.”

The decision to halt operations comes just a few weeks after Peter Pan...

ASP Offers $3 Per Pound To Start Snow Crab Season In NL, But FFAW Doesn’t Bite

Are snow crab harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador ready to hit the water? The Association of Seafood Producers (ASP) approached the Fish, Food and Allied Workers (FFAW) with another offer on Thursday. But FFAW didn’t bite.

Newfoundland and Labrador holds the largest quota in Canada for snow crab, with the total allowable catch (TAC) for this year set at 57,586 tonnes. And despite the season officially opening last Saturday, and harvesters in other regions already reporting landings, NL harvesters have...

Blue Star Foods Lands Supply Agreement With U.S. Military Meal Kit Company Eagle Rising

Blue Star Foods has entered into an agreement with Eagle Rising Brand, a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business that produces meal kit solutions for members of the U.S. military.

According to Blue Star Foods, the agreement encompasses the rollout of 13 “meticulously crafted meal options, each designed to meet the rigorous nutritional standards and diverse preferences of military personnel.”

“We are honored to work with the team from Eagle Rising and admire their dedication to our nation,” commented...

Snow Crab Standoff Continues; FFAW Promises “We Will Not Fish For Anything Less Than Our Fair Share”

The snow crab season in Newfoundland and Labrador opened five days ago but the entire quota of 57,586 tonnes remains in the water. And the Fish, Food & Allied Workers (FFAW) negotiating committee is resolute: “We will not fish for anything less than our fair share.” 

FFAW President Greg Pretty is now calling on the provincial government to get involved.

The Standing Fish Price Setting Panel met in late March to hear final offers from snow crab harvesters and...

World's Biggest Opilio Snow Crab Fishery Opens

A key measure of U.S. inflation met expectations in February and brings forth the possibility the price growth will continue to cool and justify an interest rate cut. The Commerce Department reported that the overall personal consumption expenditures price index rose by 2.9% over the 12 months through February, aligning with economists' forecast of multiple interest rate declines in 2024. The Fed chairman Jerome Powell has reassured that the central bank is in a good position to react to a range of different paths for the economy...

U.S. A Bright Light For Norwegian King Crab and Snow Crab in Q1

Norwegian seafood exports have had a rough first quarter thanks to a combination of factors. But when it comes to crab, the U.S. may be a bright light for the country.

Diving first into king crab, the Norwegian Seafood Council reports a fall in both volume and value in Q1. In the first quarter Norway exported 380 tons of King Crab, a 22% drop in volume compared to the first quarter last year. Value for the Q1 exports totaled NOK 216 million, a decrease of NOK 28 million or 12% compared to Q1 2023.

Spring, Summer Dungeness Fisheries Face Closures, Restrictions to Reduce Entanglement Risk

In a little more than a week, most of California will close to Dungeness crabbing. Fishermen will have until 6 p.m. on Monday, April 8, to get their gear out of the water for this year's season. Crabbers in Oregon and Washington, too, will face seasonal restrictions

California Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Charlton H. Bonham assessed whale entanglement risk under the Risk Assessment Mitigation Program. The latest data from aerial and vessel surveys showed humpback whale numbers are increasing. Bonham therefore decided the changes will take effect ...

DFO Announces Rules For NARW Temporary and Season-Long Grid Closures Ahead of 2024 Snow Crab Season

The 2024 Canadian snow crab season is set to kick off soon. But before it does, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has released their rules for temporary and season-long grid closures related to North Atlantic right whale (NARW) management.

Management measures were introduced as a way to prevent endangered North Atlantic right whales from deadly ship strikes and gear entanglement. For years the DFO has been announcing temporary and season-long grid closures when the whales are detected...

ANALYSIS: Mid-Small Blue and Red Crab Meat Under Pressure

Like we discussed earlier this month, the crab meat market in the U.S. has been a tale of two different groupings of size grades: larger grades under upward pricing pressure and smaller grades seeing downward pricing pressure. Because the overall size of crabs has been smaller for the past several months out of the Asian producing countries, we have continued to see a smaller percentage of colossal, jumbo lump, and super lump available to the marketplace. When crabs run smaller...

Northern Gulf of St. Lawrence 2024 Snow Crab Openings Announced For Zone 12A, 17

Some details on the 2024 Canadian snow crab season are finally being released. This week the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) announced the opening date for certain areas in the Quebec Region.

Zone 12A, which has a total allowable catch of 40 tonnes, will open on March 24 at 5 a.m. EDT and run for 10 weeks. The decision was agreed upon in discussions with First nations, as well as the industry. The DFO noted that “in accordance with the...

Get Those California Dungeness Crabs Now, Before the Whales Arrive

Welcome to spring, when the winds start to change, the rain lessens and the whales start to move north into California waters.

That also means a greater risk for whale entanglements in Dungeness crab gear.

But for now, crabbers can still go fishing, according to an assessment last week by California Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Charlton H. Bonham. Bonham determined the fishery can continue with a 50 percent gear reduction in fishing zones 3-6 (Mendocino/Sonoma county line south to the border ...

Buyers/Sellers Assemble At Seafood Expo Boston!

The U.S. economy began 2024 on a robust note. Various indicators of business activity, labor markets, and inflation are all trending positively. Economists are increasingly optimistic, with many no longer forecasting a recession in 2024. U.S. consumer spending remained resilient throughout 2023. However, according to The Conference Board, there is expectation that consumer spending growth to moderate in the near future.

The Seafood Exposition North America is taking place in Boston beginning March 10, offering a prime opportunity for businesses to forge new connections, expand product lines, and even reinvent themselves...

ANALYSIS: Checking In With Crab Meat As Ramadan Approaches

The crab meat market in the U.S. has been a tale of two different groupings of sizing grades: larger grades under upward pricing pressure and smaller grades seeing downward pricing pressure. Because the overall size of crabs has been smaller for the past several months out of the Asian producing countries, we have continued to see a smaller percentage of colossal, jumbo lump, and super lump available to the marketplace. When crabs run smaller, you normally see a higher percentage of special and claw...

NL Snow Crab Season 2024: Stock Status Concerns in 3K

On Tuesday the Department of Fisheries and Oceans’ (DFO) Science Department provided a technical briefing on the latest stock assessment for snow crab in Newfoundland and Labrador. And while there was no change in the stock status of all assessment divisions, the DFO expressed concerns about a decline in exploitable biomass in 3K.

“The science is not what we had hoped to have seen,” said Trevor Jones, a fleet chair and harvester from 3K. “We recognize there are things that affected the fishery of 2023...