The volume of live crab imports to Russia has increased significantly, with annual imports expected to exceed 40,000 tons.

Published 2025년 10월 16일

Tridge summary

Core tip: In the first eight months of this year, Russia exported a total of 23,300 tons of live crabs (including king crabs, snow crabs, and flower crabs, among others) to the Chinese market, a year-on-year increase of 20% (a 40% increase compared to the same period in 2023), with a value of $605 million, and an average CIF price of $25.92/kg, a year-on-year drop of nearly 20%; it is expected that exporters will exceed 40,000 tons for the whole year, equivalent to 40% of Russia's total production.

Original content

Since 2022, Russian seafood exports have been impacted by sanctions from Western countries, reshaping the global trade landscape, with China becoming the primary export destination for high-quality king crab. The growth in Russian crab exports to China is also due to increased quotas and the opening of new shipping routes, further expanding the transportation channels in the Far East and the Barents Sea, ensuring a sufficient supply throughout the year. From a price curve perspective, prices were higher from January to March, reaching $35-$50/kg, while prices in the summer months were $21-$25/kg. The quota investment policy implemented by Russia has further improved the efficiency of live crab fishing, with maritime routes opened from the Russian Far East to multiple Chinese ports. For example, the discharge volume in Rizhao and Qingdao, Shandong, almost doubled in 2024, and the arrival volume in Ningbo-Zhoushan Port and Shanghai increased significantly, with Jiangsu ports opening ...

Source: Foodmate