U.S. fishermen landed 317.3 million pounds – 143,925 metric tons (MT) – of crab, valued at USD 704.3 million (EUR 605.3 million) in 2016. While the volume was down by more than nine million pounds (4,082 MT) or three percent compared with the previous year, the value represented an increase of four percent, or USD 25.6 million (EUR 22 million), according to NOAA Fisheries’ new Fisheries of the United States 2016 report.
Last year’s hard blue crab landings amounted to 157.5 million pounds (71,441 MT) valued at USD 213.8 million (EUR 183.8 million), representing respective decreases of one percent and nine percent, NOAA reported.
Louisiana landed more than 24 percent of the U.S. total, followed by Maryland (22 percent), Virginia (17 percent) and North Carolina (16 percent). Hard blue crab landings in the South Atlantic, with almost 34.7 million pounds (15,740 MT), decreased by 15 percent, and the Gulf of Mexico region with almost 49.5 million pounds (22,453 MT), decreased almost one percent. The Middle Atlantic region, with over 73.3 million pounds (33,248 MT) valued at nearly USD 114.8 million (EUR 98.7 million), increased by almost 5.4 million pounds (2,449 MT) or 8 percent compared with 2015.
Last year’s average ex-vessel price for hard blue crab was USD 1.36 (EUR 1.17) per pound, compared with USD 1.48 (EUR 1.27) in 2015.
Dungeness crab landings totaled 64.2 million pounds (29,121 MT) valued at USD 222.6 million (EUR 191.3 million), with the volume up 40.2 million pounds (18,234 MT) or 168 percent and the value rising USD 110.6 million (EUR 95.1 million) or 99 percent.
California’s landings of almost 26.7 million pounds (12,111 MT) of Dungeness crab was up 760 percent from 2015 and led all states with almost 42 percent of the total landings. Washington’s landings increased almost 28 percent to 19.1 million pounds (8,664 MT) and accounted for almost 30 percent of the total landings. Oregon landed 15.7 million pounds (7,121 MT), which was 590 percent more than in 2015, while Alaska’s landings were down 25 percent at nearly 2.7 million pounds (1,225 MT).
The average ex-vessel price of Dungeness crab in 2016 was USD 3.47 (EUR 2.98) per pound, down from USD 4.68 (EUR 4.02) in the previous year.
U.S. landings of king crab, meanwhile, reached almost 14.6 million pounds (6,622 MT) last year, valued at USD 104.7 million (EUR 90 million), representing a decrease of 2.9 million pounds (1,315 MT) or nearly 17 percent, but an increase in value of USD 6 million (EUR 5.2 million) or 6 percent compared with 2015. King crab achieved an average ex-vessel price of USD 7.17 (EUR 6.16) per pound last year, compared with USD 5.63 (EUR 4.84) in 2015.
The country’s snow crab landings amounted to almost 39.6 million pounds (17,962 MT), valued at USD 79.9 million (EUR 68.7 million), down 51 percent and 40 percent respectively. The species achieved an average ex-vessel price of USD 2.02 (EUR 1.74), up from USD 1.65 (EUR 1.42) in 2015.
