Russian Frozen King Crab Half Price, Tsukiji Kanisho Securing 1,000 Tons

The price of frozen king crab from the Russian Far East, which was caught at the end of last year, has dropped significantly. According to Tsukiji Kanisho, the price of frozen king crab purchased from Russian producers from October last year to mid-January this year was between $30 and $40 per kilo. This price range is 50 to 60% cheaper than the previous year's auction price in Busan, South Korea. The company chairman Tadaaki Nakamura said...

Kodiak Crabbers Securing Tenders to Take All Local Tanners Out of Town

Not a single crab boat from Kodiak, the Alaska Peninsula or Chignik broke ranks to drop pots for a harvest of 7.3 million pounds of bairdi Tanners when the fishery opened on January 15.

The stand down by the fleet of nearly 170 vessels stems from the crabbers’ refusal to accept a price of $2.50 a pound from four local processors: Trident, Alaska Pacific Seafoods, Ocean Beauty and Pacific Seafoods.

“We have solidarity among all groups,” said Kevin Abena of Kodiak, skipper of...

CDFW Lifts Trap Restrictions for Dungeness Crabbers in Central, Southern California

The whales are moving on, allowing the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to modify its trap limits for Dungeness crabbers.

CDFW announced Wednesday it will lift the 50 percent commercial fishery trap reduction in Fishing Zones 3-6, all areas south of the Mendocino/Sonoma county line, at 8:01 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023, the same day much of Oregon will open to crabbing. Until then, California fishermen are still ...

Crab Fishery Hits a Hiccup: One Hot Crab in Oregon Muddles Management

While crabbers and fishery managers made plans to open the Dungeness season in Oregon, Mother Nature dropped a bomb -- and a bomb cyclone.

On Thursday afternoon, Jan. 5, all seemed fine: All areas tested clear for domoic acid and an area in Washington showed meat quality did not meet Tri-state fishery management protocols. Everyone anticipated a Jan. 15 opening for most or all of Oregon.

But Friday morning, Tri-state fishery managers discussing the season opening when ODA notified them of one "hot" crab with domoic acid ...

Share of Illegal Crab in Russia Continues to Remain High  

The share of counterfeit and illegal crab in the Russian market continues to remain high, despite the efforts taken by the state for its reduction in recent years.

Probably the most complex situation is observed in the segment of HORECA, where the share of illegal crab is estimated at 97%.

According to latest data of the Russian Federal Agency of Fisheries (Rosrybolovstvo), currently about 40% of crab of unknown origin is supplied to Moscow restaurants.

40% of the product, that are supplied to Moscow hotels and restaurants have no...

Small-Boat Oregon Crabbers Lodge Large Complaint About Dungeness Delay

A delay in the crab season isn't sitting well with some West Coast crab fishermen, who wanted to start earlier.

Fishermen from primarily Newport, Garibaldi and Port Orford, including some who own multiple vessels, laid the blame on the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in a letter, saying the ongoing delays disadvantaged the fishermen, all of whom are "small boat" fishermen, they say.

The letter to ODFW sent this week criticizes ODFW for not opening the zones that had crab that met the quality thresholds. They say ...

Looking Back at 2022: The Biggest Stories of the Year

With 2022 quickly coming to a close, SeafoodNews is looking back at some of the biggest stories to make headlines this year. 

Maine Lobster’s Battle

2022 was not lobster’s year. The industry was hit with quite a few setbacks thanks to the endangered North Atlantic right whale. 

In February the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program released a press release about 14 draft assessments for fisheries that “pose risks to the survival of the endangered North Atlantic right whale.” That proposal called for the lobster fishery...

Senators Cantwell, Murray Announce $300 Million in Economic Relief for Fishing Families

Fishing families will be able to rest easy this holiday season knowing that economic relief is coming. On Tuesday Washington Senator Patty Murray and Senator Maria Cantwell announced that $300 million for disaster assistance for fishing families impacted by canceled crab and salmon harvests will be included in the final version of the Fiscal Year 2023 Omnibus Appropriations Bill. 

It’s been a tough year for participants in the crab fishery due to the 2022/2023 Bering Sea snow crab fishery being canceled, and the...

The Winding Glass:  What’s Up in the North Pacific? 

[The Winding Glass is the commentary and opinion column by John Sackton, Founder of SeafoodNews]

Many communities in Alaska are up in arms over trawling. With closures of snow crab, king crab, and the collapse of chum fisheries on the Yukon, and Chinook fisheries statewide, desperate community leaders are demanding action against trawling.

They are fighting the wrong battle. The goal of fishery management is not to save every fish. It is to build and sustain populations of fish. The simple fact is that effort in Alaska’s trawl fisheries has...

Crab Demand Remains Behind Supply

It looks like we are in for a bumpy road. If the U.S. economy shrinks in 2023 no one should be surprised. The Fed has raised interest rates six times in 2022 and is expected to increase another 0.50% at the December meeting. The regular Wall Street Journal survey finds economists think there is a 63% chance of a recession next year. The October NOAA Census data released today tells a compelling tale on both snow and king crab. U.S. snow crab imports continue to disappoint. October imports from...

OPINION: Trawlers Get a Pass in Bering Sea Snow Crab Rebuilding Plan

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) must decide this month on a 10 year rebuilding plan for Bering Sea snow crab to comply with federal fisheries laws. They have no time to waste: the plan must be in place prior to the start of the 2023/2024 fishing season.

According to the initial environmental assessment of the Rebuilding Plan for Eastern Bering Sea Snow Crab released on November 10, “The main driver in speed of rebuilding for this stock is not fishing mortality, rather...

Norway Increases King Crab Quota In 2023

Alaska may have closed their Bristol Bay Red King Crab season, but things are looking better in Norway. The Norwegian Ministry of Industry and Fisheries announced this week that they have increased the king crab quota for 2023.

According to the news release, the total quota for male crabs is set at 2,375 tonnes for next year, an increase of 530 tonnes from 2022. This increase is on the larger side considering that the 1,845 tonnes that were allocated for 2022 had only received a 35 tonnes increase from 2021...

Alaska Crab Latest to Be Targeted by Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch

Alaska crabbers can’t seem to catch a break. As the industry deals with the fallout from the cancellation of the snow crab season in the Bering Sea for the first time, as well as the cancellation of the Bristol Bay king crab season for the second year in a row, they now have to worry about an impending assessment from the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program. 

Monterey Bay Aquarium has released a draft report from June 2021 for king, tanner and snow crab from Alaska trap/pot fisheries...

Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers Launch GoFundMe After Snow Crab Closure 

Non-profit trade association Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers has launched a GoFundMe following the Alaska snow crab closure announcement.

“No one ever wants to face the day you’re on the verge of losing the job you love that shapes your identity, supports your family, and gives you purpose,” the fundraiser reads. “Unfortunately, Bering Sea crab fishermen are facing that day. Alaska’s Bering Sea snow crab fishery is closed for the first time in U.S. history and Bristol Bay red king crab is closed for the second year...

Slow Crab Sales and Why - Things to Ponder

The Federal Reserve raised the interest rate by .75 points this past week and is on track for more interest rate increases as they continue their effort to cool economic growth and bring down inflation. The economy grew at a 2.6%, led by energy exports in the third quarter, while inflation continues high at 8.2% vs the prior year. Consumer spending accounts for roughly two-thirds of the total U.S. economic output and they do continue to open their wallets in spite of prices being 6.2% higher than the same period...

NMFS: Receipt of Petition to Close Red King Crab Savings Area, Subarea to All Fishing Gear

On Friday the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announced the receipt of a petition for emergency rulemaking under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) from the Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers. The petition from the group requested that NMFS close the Red King Crab Savings Area (RKCSA)and the Red King Crab Savings Subarea (RKCSS) to all fishing gear in an effort to protect Bristol Bay red king crab (BBRKC) for six months beginning January 1, 2023 and ending on...

Kodiak Crabbers Stand Down Due to Low Price Offer

A fleet of nearly 170 Tanner crabbers from the Westward region is standing down and will not drop pots when the fishery opens on January 15.

That includes crabbers from Kodiak, the Alaska Peninsula and Chignik who have a combined catch quota of 7.3 million pounds, the largest since 1986.

“We have solidarity among all groups,” said Kevin Abena of Kodiak, skipper of the F/V Big Blue and a spokesman for the Kodiak Crab Alliance Cooperative that represents 121 permit holders.

Kodiak’s Tanner crab harvest limit this year is...

Oregon Announces Closed Area Transit Allowance for Dungeness Crab Season

Mark the 2021-2022 crab season down as an odd year: The stars lined up, the crabs were ready and biotoxin levels were low enough that the primary season could open on Dec. 1, the "usual" start date.

That customary start date has been complicated by meat quality and domoic acid concerns in a few recent seasons, leading to open and closed zones, like this year.

Now, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife released a plan, established by a temporary rule, that will allow crabbers transit through closed areas. ...

2022: The Year King and Snow Crab Came Down to Earth

Spending by U.S. households rose 0.1% in November from the prior month according to the Commerce Department. This compares to a 0.9% gain in November. Consumers continued to boost spending on services while cutting back on goods. The Feds preferred view of inflation is the personal-consumption expenditure price index that cooled to 5.5% in November vs 6.1% in October. The Fed has raised interest rates seven times in 2022 and is expected to increase again at a lower 0.25% at the January meeting. More than two-thirds...

Oregon Test Results Show Dungeness are Biotoxin-Free and Ready for Harvest

Crabbers are itching to set gear in Oregon, where crab are safe to eat and the meat recovery meets the thresholds. Bring on Jan. 15!

The meat quality results, released late Thursday ahead of an industry meeting, show the southernmost zones, Port Orford and Brookings, demonstrated incremental improvement over the last few weeks and reached 24.3% and 25.5%, respectively, above the 24% necessary.

The big surprise was Astoria, at the Columbia River, which showed a more than 4% jump from 21.3% in mid-December to ...

Alaska Fishing Outlooks for 2023

Alaska fish harvests for 2023 are being revealed almost daily by state and federal managers, ranging from salmon to groundfish to crab and herring.

Here’s a sampler so far, with some added commentary:

The bulk of Alaska’s seafood by far is taken from fishing grounds ranging from three to 200 miles offshore that are managed by federal overseers. The volume taken from the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska includes more than two dozen types of groundfish, or whitefish, such as cod, pollock, rockfish, perch and other species and totals nearly 5.5 billion pounds...

Dungeness Crab Season Finally Opens, Sort Of. It's Complicated

At 12:01 a.m. on Dec. 31, California crabbers can start pulling their Dungeness crab pots -- but fishermen in Central and Southern California will be restricted to half their trap limits.

In Oregon and Washington, consistent problems with meat recovery rates and domoic acid led Tri-state fishery managers, after meeting with crabbers and processors, to opt for keeping the season closed and re-assessing the situation for a Jan. 15, 2023, opener.

As fishermen noted in meetings across the West Coast, "It's complicated...

USTR Extends China Tariff Exclusions for Seafood Products

A handful of seafood products will continue to be excluded from the tariffs linked to the China Section 301 Investigation.

On December 16, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced a nine-month extension for 352 product exclusions that were reinstated in March 2022. The exclusions were set to expire at the end of the year.

The extension will impact the following seafood items:

- Alaskan sole (yellowfin, rock or flathead, frozen in blocks, in cases with net weight of more than 4.5 kg...

Whales, Toxins and Recovery Rates, Oh My! Dungeness Season Remains on Hold

Tri-state managers in California, Oregon and Washington are navigating some rough waters to open the ocean Dungeness crab season. Crab for Thanksgiving? Nope. Christmas? Sorry. New Year's? Unlikely.

Meat recovery rates are still below acceptable levels in Washington, both the north and south coasts of Oregon and in Northern California. Testing for domoic acid is ongoing in some areas due to high levels of the toxin in razor clams or because crab viscera in some tests showed elevated levels. And in California...

Japan: Leading Crab Importer-Processor Imported 600 MT, Began Promoting the Russian Golden King Crab

Tsukiji Kanisho Co., Ltd., a Tokyo-based crab importer and processor, will focus on selling Russian Golden King Crab next year. Golden Kings are new products to the Japanese market, and the company will propose them to restaurants and mass retailers throughout the year. The sales floor has shrunk due to the soaring prices, but against the international situation, crabs are now at a price that is easy to handle, and the company plans to rebuild demand, reported Suisan Shimbun.

The situation surrounding...

China’s Live and Fresh Crab Imports in January-October Record 16,000 MT from Russia

In China, where live demand is high, imports of live and fresh crabs from Russia are increasing. According to statistics from the General Administration of Customs of China, imports of live and fresh crabs from January to October increased by 9% year-on-year to 63,436 tons. Among them, imports from Russia increased by 24% to 15,746 tons, already surpassing last year's record high since 2017, when statistics are available. Minato Shimbun reported that the average unit price of imports from Russia fell 12% to...

Primary West Coast Dungeness Crab Season Delayed Until At Least Dec. 15

Poor meat recovery in most areas for Dungeness crab has prompted Washington Oregon and California fisheries managers to agree to delay the season for now.

As SeafoodNews reported earlier this week, only the areas around Coos Bay and Newport tested above the threshold for meat fill.

Earlier today, coastal Dungeness crab Tri-State policy representatives from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife agreed to delay ...

Snow Crab Fishing Season Opened in the Sea of Japan, Branded Crab Sold for JPY 310 Million

The 2022 opilio snow crab fishing season opened on November 6 in the Sea of Japan west of Toyama Prefecture. At the first auctions in various places, a 2.2 kg crab of the highest-grade live crab, branded "Kiwami" out of a local generic brand known as Echizen crab, sold at 3.1 million yen ($22,334) per crab at the Fukui Echizen fishing port, surpassing the previous year's 800,000 yen ($5,763). In addition, new brands such as "Kiraboshi" in Hyogo Prefecture and...

Oregon Crab Commission Prepares for Next Chapter with New Director

The Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission is in for a change -- but also with some continuity of direction.

Commissioners appointed longtime Communication Director and Assistant Administrator Tim Novotny to the Executive Director position recently. He will take the mantle from Hugh Link, who is retiring Jan. 1, 2023, after a decade at the helm and 18 years with the commission.

Michael Retherford, who served as acting chair of the commission throughout the search and selection, says it was hard to know who was going be the right ...

No Trick, No Treat: California Dungeness Season Delayed Due to Whales

California Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Charlton H. Bonham on Friday confirmed what many fishermen had feared: Thanks to whales, both sport and commercial crab fishermen will have to forgo fishing with crab traps or pots.

That means no crab for Thanksgiving in the Central California and San Francisco areas, no setting of gear until the whales clear out.

The commercial Dungeness crab fishery south of the Sonoma/Mendocino county line was scheduled to open on Nov. 15, 2022 in Fishing Zones 3, 4, 5 and 6 (Point ...