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Mixed results in October for Exports of Norwegian King Crab and Snow Crab

NORWAY
Monday, November 10, 2025, 00:20 (GMT + 9)

Norwegian Seafood Council Reports on October Trends for King Crab, Snow Crab, and Coldwater Prawn

Norway’s October seafood exports revealed a mixed bag for key shellfish species, with a notable decline in king crab value even as the US remains the largest market, a dramatic increase in snow crab exports, and a general decrease in coldwater prawn (shrimp) shipments.

King Crab Declines Amid Strong US Demand

Norway exported 109 tonnes of king crab in October, valued at NOK 77 million (US$ 6.93 million). This represents a decrease in value of NOK 2 million (US$ 180,000), or 2 percent, compared to October last year, with volume falling by a significant 21 percent.

The largest markets for king crab in October were the US, Italy, and Canada.

While frozen king crab exports showed strong growth in September, lower landings in October caused a slight drop in volume this month. According to Josefine Voraa, responsible for shellfish at the Norwegian Seafood Council: "The USA is still the largest market for frozen king crab, even though the Alaskan red king crab fishing season started in October. The USA was also the largest growth market in October, with an increase in export value of NOK 8 million (US$ 720,000) — equivalent to 16 percent — compared to the same month last year."

The export volume to the US totaled 82 tonnes, which is 3 percent lower than October last year. This overall decline is mainly due to reduced exports of live crab. In addition to the US, some frozen and live king crab was shipped to European markets ahead of the Christmas season.

Snow Crab Exports See Massive Surge

Exports of snow crab saw an extremely sharp rise in October, despite limited volumes. Norway exported 61 tonnes of snow crab, valued at NOK 12 million (US$ 1.08 million).

• Value increased by NOK 11 million (US$ 990,000), representing a jump of 942 percent compared to the same month last year.

• Volume grew by 615 percent.

The largest markets for snow crab in October were Canada, Vietnam, and Japan.

"While waiting for the snow crab fishing to resume in December, only limited volumes are being exported," Voraa explains. "Canada was the largest market in October and accounted for the largest value growth, with an export value of NOK 5 million (US$ 450,000) — compared to nothing in the same month last year. The export volume ended up at 24 tonnes," she added.

Coldwater Prawn Shipments Decrease in October

Coldwater prawn (shrimp) exports experienced a downturn in October. Norway exported 2,620 tonnes of shrimp worth NOK 158 million (US$ 14.22 million).

• Value fell by NOK 25 million (US$ 2.25 million), a decline of 14 percent.

• Volume fell by 31 percent.

Iceland, China, and Denmark were the largest markets for shrimp.

"Weaker landings from the shrimp fishery in the Barents Sea this year, compared to a strong shrimp fishery in 2024, are now having an impact on shrimp exports for October," Voraa notes.

The largest volume decline was seen in frozen cooked shelled shrimp, particularly concerning exports to Denmark and Morocco. Conversely, China continued to grow for both frozen cooked shelled shrimp and raw frozen table shrimp, with an increase of 43 percent in volume and 105 percent in value from October last year, exporting 515 tonnes.

Exports of frozen raw shrimp to the industry in Iceland saw the largest single-market volume decline, down 47 percent. For frozen, peeled shrimp, exports to the two most important markets, the UK and Sweden, were down by 35 and 16 percent respectively in October compared to the previous year. However, Voraa emphasizes that year-to-date, exports to Sweden have decreased by only 5 percent, while exports to the UK have risen by 31 percent.

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