After indecision to arrive at a seasonal price, Atlantic Canada will finally set snow crab rates on April 10, 2025.  

The 2025 season has had a quite interesting delay owing to the price stalemate affiliated to the 25% China/U.S. tariffs. 

Initially, the Fish, Food, and Allied Workers Union (FFAW) and the Association of Seafood Producers (ASP) failed to broker a deal.

It all ended up in court after the Minister of Fisheries Gerry Byrne backed FFAW and pushed price setting to April 13. ASP contested the decision and won back the earlier April 10 deadline, to reduce further delays.

High Spot Prices

So far, the Maritimes fisheries on the Atlantic Coast are already signalling good spot prices that could influence today’s official minimum.

According to the National Fisherman, crabbers from the Maritimes (Nova Scotia, P.E.I and New Brunswick) are commanding robust rates. They are reporting C$6 ($4.26) a pound at landing points and C$13.70 ($9.70) a pound in sales to American processors.

If FFAW and ASP take these examples, this year’s final minimum will certainly surpass 2024’s starter of C$3.75 ($2.66) a pound.

Newfoundland and Labrador’s fisheries are at the outset agitating for at least 3.50 U.S. dollars for a start. 

Big Haul Undercut by Tariffs

On top of the hanging pricing, there is expectation of better catches than in 2024, only that tariffs will decrease revenue.

Based on these factors, crab-rich Newfoundland anticipates a high seasonal snow crab price that will match hauls and tariffs. 

Newfoundland and Labrador officially kicked off the crabbing season on April 1 but was still anticipating price determination a week later.  

The province has a total allowable catch (TAC) of 62,000 tonnes in 2025, an increase by 9% from the 2024 season.

So, it is down to the wire today as the fishermen and producers unions in Canada determine the final seasonal price. To learn more on the factors that underline crab price fixtures in the country, skim the following statistics. 

Canada Seasonal Snow Crab Price Statistics

To maintain its world production lead of over 100,000 tonnes per year, Canada’s snow crab fisheries fix pricing at fishermen level. Several factors contribute on final rates, namely carryover stock, demand in the United States and the ocean stock.

What determines seasonal minimum prices for snow crab in Canada?

Carryover stock: the biggest determinant of the price is the carryover stock from the past season. One example is 2023 when abundant reserves from 2022 underpinned prices at C$2.20 ($1.56) per pound. 2022 had started strongly only for American demand to fall later on, leading to surplus reserves into 2023.

U.S.’ demand: Canada exports 73% of its crab haul to the United States, as of 2023, according to governmental data.  What this means is that any demand swings across the border directly impact both export and minimum landing prices. For instance in 2022, demand was high at the beginning, allowing a landing minimum of C$7.50 ($5.29).  By July, demand in the U.S. had catapulted due to inflation, which in turn forced the minimum price down to C$6.22 ($4.32).

Ocean stock: quota allocation based on the health status of the ocean stock also determines seasonal prices. In recent years, Newfoundland and Labrador’s snow crab landings last peaked in 2009 at 53,500 tonnes. They then hit rock bottom most recently in 2017 at 34,000 tonnes. The 2017 scarcity reflected well in a strong minimum price of C$4.39 ($3.12) per pound, which hardly changed throughout the season.