Access Determines Price: The Global Crab Market Tightens in 2026

Global crab trade expanded in 2025, but 2026 is developing into a more difficult operating environment defined by tighter positioning and more contested negotiations.

The structure of the market continues to narrow. Supply remains concentrated, and access to key destinations is increasingly controlled. The central issue is no longer how much crab is produced, but who can place product into the markets that set the price.

Most major producing regions enter the year with workable quotas. Russia increased total crab quotas by 2% to 109,485 metric tons and continues to...

US Extends Russian Seafood Ban as Alaska Pushes for Continued Restrictions

The US has renewed its national emergency declaration targeting Russian activities, effectively extending the ban on Russian seafood imports that has benefited Alaska's fishing industry since 2022.

President Donald Trump signed a continuation of the national emergency on March 24, extending Executive Order 14024, which underpins the prohibition on Russian seafood imports. The order was published in the Federal Register on March 27, 2026.

The extension comes just days before Alaska lawmakers passed House Joint Resolution 29 on March 30, urging federal authorities to maintain and strengthen the Russian...

ANALYSIS: Argentina's Illex Squid Landings Surge 73% Year to Date, While Prices Show Upward Pressure in April

The Illex squid (Illex argentinus) 2026 season has been under operation since February 2, 2026. According to market participants, the start of the season was difficult, especially because it was hard to find squid in stock. However, after a few days of difficulty, they managed to improve catches. According to Argentina's Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries, cumulative landings from January 1 to March 31 totaled 169,387 MT, up 73% from 97,829 MT in the same period in 2025 (Figure 1)...

ANALYSIS: February Dip in French Shrimp Imports Reflects Typical Seasonal Slowdown

The French National Directorate of Foreign Trade Statistics published the latest figures for French imports last week, showing a 22.0% decline in February versus January. That fall aligns with the usual slowdown observed at this point in the year over the past five years. After the January restocking that follows the year‑end holidays, February typically sees weaker inflows. In 2026, Easter fell on 3–6 April, several weeks later, so importers and distributors relied on existing inventories to meet subdued winter demand during February...

UK Fish Stocks Face Growing Strain as Sustainability Ratings Slip for Cod, Scampi

The Marine Conservation Society has issued a fresh warning about mounting pressure on UK fish stocks, following its latest update to the Good Fish Guide.

The revised ratings show some of the UK’s most popular seafood choices, particularly cod and langoustine (commonly sold as scampi), are becoming less sustainable. Several UK cod stocks have declined since 2015 due to overfishing, climate change, and ecosystem disruption, and there are now no recommended options for UK-caught cod. Meanwhile, some langoustine fisheries have been...

ASC-Led Partnership Launches Sustainable Aquaculture Initiative in Songkhla Lake

A new partnership is set to improve sustainable aquaculture in southern Thailand’s Songkhla Lake, where environmental pressures have challenged small-scale fish farmers.

The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), Laylanta Co., Ltd., and Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park have signed an MoU to launch an Aquaculture Improvement Project (AIP) focused on barramundi farming. The initiative will support farmers with technical guidance and market incentives, helping them adopt better practices and work toward ASC certification.

Center for Biological Diversity Sues NOAA Over Northern Fur Seal Protection, Targets Pollock Fleet

In late 2024, NOAA Fisheries finalized the Conservation Plan for the Eastern Pacific Stock of Northern Fur Seal in an effort to conserve and restore the stock to its optimum sustainable population. The Eastern Pacific (formerly Pribilof) stock of northern fur seals was designated as depleted under the Marine Mammal Protection Act on June 17, 1988, because the population had declined by over 50 percent from the highest population levels of the 1950s. NMFS first published a Conservation Plan in 1993, followed by a revised version...

Chile Coordinates Salmon Industry Response as Harmful Algal Blooms Affect 11 Farms

Chile's National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (Sernapesca) met with salmon farming companies and service providers this week to coordinate response efforts as harmful algal blooms continue impacting operations in southern Chile.

The blooms, caused by the Heterosigma akashiwo species detected since March, have affected 11 fish farms primarily in Salmonid Concession Groups 1 and 2 in the Reloncaví Sound area. All affected facilities have activated their preventative action plans in response to the harmful algal bloom (HAB) conditions...

Expana's Weekly Top 10

From geopolitical tensions reshaping global trade flows to shifting consumer trends redefining food demand, this week’s Expana Top 10 highlights the key stories driving commodity markets and the food industry. Ongoing developments in the Middle East, evolving trade policies, and supply chain disruptions continue to influence pricing and availability, while innovation in retail, foodservice, and consumer products signals where growth opportunities lie. Here’s a look at the most impactful headlines shaping the market right now. This list in no particular order. 

10.Expana proceeds to provide ample coverage...

Gulf Snow Crab Season Gets Underway as Newfoundland Harvesters Weigh Price Decision

Snow crab fishermen in the Gulf of St. Lawrence have begun the 2026 season after brief ice-related delays, moving quickly to capitalize on fishing opportunities before endangered North Atlantic right whales arrive in southern waters.

The Gulf's Total Allowable Catch was set at 16,267.90 tonnes, down 11% from 2025 levels using a 34.82% exploitation rate under the Department of Fisheries and Oceans' Precautionary Approach harvest decision rules. The reduction marks the third consecutive year of quota declines for Canada's second-largest crab fishery...

NOAA Enforcement Nets New Jersey Captain, Seafood Dealer in Illegal Scallop Scheme

NOAA Fisheries' Office of Law Enforcement highlighted its successful prosecution of a New Jersey fishing captain and seafood dealer who operated an illegal scallop harvesting conspiracy from October 2017 to April 2021.

While NOAA's announcement omitted the defendants' names, court records and DOJ Environmental Crimes Bulletins identify them as Captain Darren McClave and seafood dealer Antonio Pereira. The sentencing details and timelines in DOJ notices precisely match NOAA's case summary.

McClave was sentenced to a $10,000 fine, two years' probation, and six months of home detention...

Trident Seafoods Files $100 Million Suit Alleging Tacoma Fire Department Destroyed Kodiak Enterprise

More than three years after a devastating fire aboard a commercial fishing vessel, reports say Trident Seafoods has filed a lawsuit against the City of Tacoma.

The complaint accuses the Tacoma Fire Department of causing excessive damage and seeks $100 million in compensation. Trident states in the suit that a tactical decision by the department led to the total destruction of the Kodiak Enterprise on April 8, 2023.

King 5 News reported that a Tacoma Fire battalion chief overruled the....

PEIXE BR Welcomes Brazil's New Fisheries Minister Araújo

The Brazilian Association of Fish Farming (PEIXE BR) welcomed the appointment of Édipo Araújo as Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture (MPA) in an April 13 announcement.

Araújo, a fisheries engineer who graduated from the Federal Rural University of the Amazon, is described by the association as part of a generation that helped shift the North’s industry away from predatory extractivism toward a more structured and sustainable production chain. PEIXE BR said his sector experience and technical knowledge bolster expectations for management focused on the real needs of Brazilian...

Supreme Court Halts NL Snow Crab Tie-Up; Sackton Warns of Market Risk

The Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court has granted an injunction against the Fish Food and Allied Workers Union-Unifor (FFAW), ordering the union to halt "declaring or authorizing" the ongoing tie-up in the province's snow crab fishery.

According to local news outlet VOCM, the injunction targets comments made by union leadership encouraging harvesters not to fish for the current minimum price of $5.30/lb ($11.68/kg) set by the province's Standing Fish Price Setting Panel on April 2. The panel accepted the price submitted...

Commerce Drops 283 Indian Shrimp Exporters from AD Review Over No Entries

The Commerce Department has rescinded antidumping duty administrative review for 283 of 391 Indian frozen warmwater shrimp companies originally covered in the 2024-2025 review period, citing no reviewable entries during the timeframe.

The partial rescission, published April 10 in the Federal Register, leaves 108 companies still subject to the ongoing review covering February 1, 2024, through January 31, 2025. Companies dropped from the review will have their duties assessed at the existing cash deposit rates rather than at newly calculated assessment rates...

Japan-Russia Trade Official Highlights Strong Crab Demand Growth

Japan continues to increase crab imports from Russia due to their high quality and relatively competitive pricing.

According to Yukio Asadzuma, vice chairman of the Japan-Russia Relations Society and foreign trade adviser, most supplies consist of Kamchatka and snow crab, which are the species in highest demand among Japanese consumers.

In addition to Russia, Japan also imports crab from Canada and Norway. In the processed segment, China and Vietnam are among the leading suppliers of crab products to the Japanese market...

NFWF Announces $3.4 Million in Grants to Modernize Data Collection in US Fisheries

Collecting, sharing, and analyzing fishery data is the single most important factor in the sustainability of a resource and the management of the U.S.’s $5 billion seafood industry.  How data is gathered and applied to real-world challenges changes as technology improves.  

One of the engines of this change is the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and NOAA Fisheries, which annually fund matching-grant support for data collection. Their partnership for this financial support is the Electronic Monitoring and Reporting Grant Program...