A study by the All-Russian Association of Fishing Industry (VARPE) found Russia is selling more crab domestically after losing its market in the U.S.
A recent study by VARPE and NTech – a research company that studies the domestic fish market in Russia – found the domestic market for crab increased by nearly 20 percent by the end of 2024. VARPE said based on the study, Russians bought nearly 8,000 metric tons (MT) of crab in the year.
VARPE, on its telegram channel, attributed the growth in the domestic market to growth in demand from consumers thanks to joint work from the crab fishing sector to market the species.
“Fishermen are expanding the range of products in consumer packaging, holding tastings at points of sale and investing in marketing, restaurateurs are popularizing the trend of consuming claws of inexpensive types of crab and expanding the menu of crab dishes, and retailers are investing in advertising and experimenting with the assortment,” VARPE said.
According to VARPE, retail sales of crab species are growing in Russia, as sales of frozen and chilled crab increased by 52 percent in volume and 112 percent in value in the first nine months of 2024. Sales of canned and preserved crab also increased, with canned increasing 73 percent and preserved increasing 100 percent.
While the domestic market for the species is increasing, it is still a fraction of both Russia’s catch and Russia’s appetite for other species of seafood. According to VARPE, frozen crab is less than 0.01 percent of the overall seafood market by volume.
The domestic marketing efforts were in part thanks to Russia losing one of its largest markets for crab when the U.S. banned all imports of seafood from the country. That left Russian companies looking for a new place to sell their catch.
“After sanctions deprived Russian fishermen of one of their largest markets, the United States, they began to promote crab products on the domestic market,” VARPE said. “Crab dishes began to appear in restaurants to replace imported seafood, and retail chains expanded their range with frozen crabs, canned goods, and preserves.”
