KING CRAB
Demand on king crab has been at unprecedented high levels this year, and combined with COVID-related production slow downs and raw material shortages, supply is very low, and pricing is very high
Pricing is at all-time highs on reds, with golden king crab still strong, though trailing the reds
Alaskan reds are running smaller this year, sizing is primarily 12/14 and 16/20 – while this will leave the current market short on larger sizes for this year, it is potentially a good sign for the future health of the fishery, as there are new recruits, and next year’s quota might be improved
By late November/early December, supply on mid-sizes (9/12 – 16/20) may loosen up a bit from the current very low inventory levels, but large sizes of reds (6/9 and larger) are not expected to land until around January
WILD PACIFIC SALMON
Pink and keta catches this year were very low, and salmon raw material is expected to be in short supply this year
This pushes pricing up significantly – H&G prices for this year are currently up around 30% over last year, and are still increasing as already short supply tightens up further
Alaska’s total catch is at around 85% of predictions for the 2020 season; the Alaskan keta salmon harvest is the lowest since 1979, down 61% over last year
Russian catches have also been very low, and estimates are that the total wild Pacific salmon catch for both Russia and Alaska combined will be at around 60% of last year’s catch