Crab processors in Quebec and the Atlantic provinces are forced to lower their prices in the face of resistance from their main market in the United States.
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This situation stems from the fact that demand from American consumers, which was very strong last year thanks to the various government incentives to get through the COVID-19 crisis, is now being held back by the general increase in the cost of life.
In addition, American brokers and buyers, who still have crab from the 2021 season in inventory, are less in a hurry to buy the Canadian snow crab caught this year, explains Jean-Paul Gagné, director general of the Association québécoise desindustries Fisheries (AQIP).
“Sales are not happening,” he said. We are talking about 75% of volumes in inventory, against no more than 25% in normal times.
“Normally, people call us from the United States and Japan even before the start of the season, to reserve their supplies,” said Gilles Thériault, president of the New Brunswick Crab Processors Association. Currently, the phone just does not ring. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen that. Orders are made in small quantities here and there.”
Decrease of $1/lb
In an attempt to unblock the market, eastern Canadian snow crab processors agreed on Tuesday to reduce the provisional price paid to fishermen. While it fluctuated between $8.25 and $8.75 per pound at the start of the season in Gaspésie, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, it fell to an average of $7.50 per book. In the Magdalen Islands, where snow crab is also fished, the price paid to fishermen is already $7.50 per pound.
“And we now hope that brokers and the market will start to buy our product, so that it tumbles over the next few weeks, with Mother’s Day approaching,” argues Mr. Thériault.
The latter goes so far as to mention a possible closure of the fishery, if the market does not cooperate. “We’re all in the same boat,” he says. The rest of us have to be paid to be able to continue to buy fish from fishermen. Especially in the Gulf, with the history of whales [noires menacées d’extinction dont la protection commande des restrictions sur les activités de pêche], we want fishermen to continue fishing at the max before the arrival of the whales. And in addition, with the increase [de 34 %] of the quota we had this year, we cannot afford to stop fishing!”