The Canadian Snow Crab Season has come to a close, and although the Gulf of St. Lawrence successfully reached nearly 100% of their quota, the FFAW issued a warning last week indicating that harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador would likely fall short of landing their entire quota.

Harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador faced a six-week hiatus due to disagreements over pricing, resulting in a significant delay. They have now been back on the water for five weeks, but according to preliminary data from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), as of June 11, they have only harvested 27% of their quota. The DFO reports that there are still 40,057 metric tons of snow crab remaining in the waters of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The likelihood of achieving the full quota this year is diminishing, with nearly 70% of license holders believing that they will not have the opportunity to harvest their complete quotas this season. In contrast, the Gulf of St. Lawrence, as of June 13th in the Maritimes Region, has almost reached their full quota, while CFA 23-24W has landed less than 47% of their quota, leaving 3,911.863 metric tons still unharvested.

With the Canadian Snow Crab attracting attention in the seafood industry and whether shortages will begin to occur later in the year or prices will increase for Canadian product, alternative snow crab species from Japan (Chionoecetes angulatus) and Korea (Chionoecetes japonicus) are gaining popularity. These species offer a delicious product and excellent value as alternatives to the Canadian Snow Crab.

The original article pre-edited is available at SeafoodNews.com.