(IntraFish) Russia exported 7,897 metric tons of crab to the United States in 2011. That is a 14 percent drop from 2010, said the chairman of the Russian Union of Far Eastern fishermen, Dmitry Dremlyuga.
This is due to stricter control measures against poaching, he said. Deliveries of crab from China to the US fell even more, dropping by 97 percent, Dremlyuga said. On the other hand, Japan, Argentina and Thailand all dramatically increased their exports.
Argentina increased its supply of crabs by 2.4 times, up to 361 metric tons. Imports from Japan and Thailand increased three-fold.
Among Russian crab exports to the US, those of frozen red king crab fell strongest, by 15.2 percent to 8,513 metric tons.However, a 13.9 percent hike in the average price meant the total export value fell by only 3.4 percent to $171 million (€128.9 million).
Deliveries of snow crab fell by 5.8 percent to 41 metric tons. In value, they increased by 34.4 percent to $502 million (€378.4 million) due to average prices that rose by 42.6 percent. Dremlyuga noted that the share of the Russian king crab abroad is increasing. In 2011 Russia caught 42,700 metric tons of crab, which is 8.9 percent more than in 2010.