As uncertainty over U.S. tariffs grows, Canada's main snow crab producing region delays fishing season
At the Boston Expo, Martin Sullivan, CEO of Ocean Choice International (OCI), told UCN: "NL quotas will be announced as early as March 21. In addition to quotas, local processors and fishermen have not yet reached a price agreement, nor a specific pricing formula. This is mainly because the United States may announce tariffs on Canadian goods on April 2." Currently, the Association of Seafood Producers (ASP), which represents snow crab processors in NL, and the Federation of Fisheries and Food Workers (FFAW), which represents fishermen, have stated that price negotiations for the 2025 production season have been suspended until negotiations resume after the Boston Expo. Last year, the NL snow crab quota was 57,578 tons. Urner, a U.S. agricultural product wholesale price portal Barry said that no large-scale transactions were made for snow crab products this week, and the average wholesale price is difficult to determine. New information may not be released until next week or later this week. If FFAW and ASP cannot reach an agreement on the final price, the NL Provincial Pricing Committee will participate in mediation. Sullivan said that there is not much time left in March when the specific quota is announced, the head price is finalized, and the production season begins. In Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada, the snow crab season has just begun, and the total quota of the two fishing areas (23/24 areas) is 7,000 tons, which accounts for only a small part of Canada's total production. In addition, the snow crab season in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence is also expected to start in April, and the specific start date has not yet been announced. This year's quota for the Gulf of St. Lawrence is 18,334 tons, a decrease of 28% from last year.