Canada: Area 12 Gulf crab season opening with low prices

Frozen Crab

Seafood

Canada

Sustainability & Environmental Impact

Market & Price Trends

Published Mar 26, 2024

Tridge summary

Crab fishermen in Cheticamp, including Mark Boyd, are bracing for a tough season as the Area 12 crab fishery in the central Gulf of St. Lawrence opens. They are grappling with a significant drop in the expected price of their catch to $2.50 a pound from over $8 last year, alongside a 29% quota reduction. The fishermen are also facing high operational costs, such as labor, bait, fuel, and maintenance. A meeting was planned to determine the season's start, hinging on weather conditions and the arrival of temporary foreign workers at processing plants. The crab market's volatility, affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical events, has led to a crash in prices and a normalization of inventories. Despite the current challenges, there is optimism for market stability and improved prices in future years.

Disclaimer: The above summary was generated by a state-of-the-art LLM model and is intended for informational purposes only. It is recommended that readers refer to the original article for more context.

Original content

Mark Boyd and the crew of the Laci Joanne were loading crab traps in Cheticamp on Monday under grey clouds. “The mood is sour,” said the captain. The crews of the 40 boats preparing for the opening of the Area 12 crab fishery, which spans the central Gulf of St. Lawrence over to New Brunswick, are expecting to get $2.50 a pound for their catch. That’s down from highs of more than $8 a pound at the opening of the 2022 season. Add to that, the quota in Area 12 was cut 29 per cent for this year. “Anybody who just got into it in the last couple years and has boat payments, $2.50 a pound won’t really cut it,” said Boyd. “Everything’s going up – labour, the cost of bait, fuel is crazy, which everyone knows. We just came back from the boat shop to do some repairs, everything from hydraulic hoses, all that stuff seems like it's doubled in the last three years.” On Monday night, a meeting was scheduled that will determine whether the season opens on Thursday. It all hinges on a good ...

Source: Saltwire