Crab legs statistics show a fishery measured in several ways: pounds landed, vessel participation, quota use, ex-vessel value, crew income, and international trade. The figures below focus mainly on Alaska’s Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands crab fisheries, with a 2023 China market figure for context. Measurement periods vary by source, so each statistic is labeled by its reported year or fishery season.
Contents
- Recent crab landings and allocations
- Community development quota landings
- Quota-share and individual use caps
- Crab fishery value over time
- Vessels, crew, and processing revenue
- China’s live-crab import market
Recent crab landings and allocations
The NOAA Fisheries Crab IFQ Allocations and Landings 2023/2024 report records several major fisheries at or effectively at their reported allocations. These are fishery-management figures, not retail sales volumes or estimates of the amount of meat available from crab legs.
In the 2023/2024 season, Bristol Bay red king crab had 104 vessel landings. Landed volume was 1,929,108 pounds against a 1,935,000-pound allocation, leaving 5,892 pounds and showing 100% landed in the report.
Eastern Bering Sea Tanner crab had 53 vessel landings and 681,342 pounds landed from a 684,000-pound allocation. The reported remainder was 2,658 pounds, with 100% landed. Western Bering Sea Tanner crab had 66 vessel landings and 1,183,761 pounds landed from a 1,188,000-pound allocation. Its reported remainder was 4,239 pounds, also with 100% landed.
Two Aleutian Islands golden king crab fisheries were reported by vessel landings and allocation. Eastern Aleutian Islands golden king crab had 56 vessel landings and a 3,348,000-pound allocation. Western Aleutian Islands golden king crab had 41 vessel landings and a 1,629,000-pound allocation. The supplied report figures do not state landed pounds or a remaining amount for either of these two allocation entries.
| Fishery, 2023/2024 | Vessel landings | Pounds landed | Allocation | Reported remainder |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol Bay red king crab | 104 | 1,929,108 | 1,935,000 | 5,892 |
| Eastern Bering Sea Tanner crab | 53 | 681,342 | 684,000 | 2,658 |
| Western Bering Sea Tanner crab | 66 | 1,183,761 | 1,188,000 | 4,239 |
| Eastern Aleutian Islands golden king crab | 56 | Not reported | 3,348,000 | Not reported |
| Western Aleutian Islands golden king crab | 41 | Not reported | 1,629,000 | Not reported |
The three fisheries with both landed pounds and allocations reported account for 3,794,211 landed pounds and 3,807,000 allocated pounds when their published figures are read together. That comparison is a direct addition of the reported figures and does not convert whole crab to edible leg meat.
Community development quota landings
The same NOAA Fisheries Crab IFQ Allocations and Landings 2023/2024 report separately lists Crab CDQ landings. CDQ means Community Development Quota in this reporting context. Crab CDQ landings totaled 30 vessel landings and 794,990 pounds against a 795,000-pound allocation. The report showed 10 pounds remaining and 100% landed.
The CDQ breakdown included 7 vessel landings and 215,000 pounds for Bristol Bay red king crab, with 0 pounds remaining and 100% landed. Eastern Aleutian Islands golden king crab CDQ had 11 vessel landings and 371,990 pounds landed from a 372,000-pound allocation, leaving 10 pounds. The report also listed 6 vessel landings and 76,000 pounds for Eastern Bering Sea Bairdi Tanner crab, with 0 pounds remaining and 100% landed.
Western Bering Sea Bairdi Tanner crab CDQ had 6 vessel landings and 132,000 pounds, with 0 pounds remaining and 100% landed. These CDQ figures describe allocated fishery landings; they are not a count of individual crab legs or packaged consumer portions.
Quota-share and individual use caps
NOAA Fisheries’ Crab QS/IFQ Use Caps 2023/2024 report gives limits in quota-share units and, for some entries, raw crab pounds. The abbreviations below are retained as reported. “Undetermined” means the report did not provide an annual IFQ cap for that entry because the relevant total allowable catch had not been announced.
For 2023/2024, BBR CVO/CPO use caps were 3,880,000 quota-share units and 18,789 raw crab pounds. EBT caps were 1,940,000 quota-share units and 6,638 raw crab pounds, while WBT caps were 1,940,000 units and 11,529 raw crab pounds.
EAG CVO/CPO caps were 970,000 quota-share units and 324,751 raw crab pounds. WAG caps were 3,880,000 units and 158,013 raw crab pounds. BSS caps were 9,700,000 units, but the annual IFQ cap was undetermined because TAC had not been announced. PIK caps were 582,000 units with an undetermined annual IFQ cap, and SMB caps were 582,000 units with an undetermined annual IFQ cap. WAI caps were 5,820,000 units with an undetermined annual IFQ cap.
| 2023/2024 CVO/CPO entry | QS use cap | Raw crab-pound cap or status |
|---|---|---|
| BBR | 3,880,000 | 18,789 pounds |
| EBT | 1,940,000 | 6,638 pounds |
| WBT | 1,940,000 | 11,529 pounds |
| EAG | 970,000 | 324,751 pounds |
| WAG | 3,880,000 | 158,013 pounds |
| BSS | 9,700,000 | Annual IFQ cap undetermined |
| PIK | 582,000 | Annual IFQ cap undetermined |
| SMB | 582,000 | Annual IFQ cap undetermined |
| WAI | 5,820,000 | Annual IFQ cap undetermined |
The report also listed individual CVC/CPC caps. BBR was 240,000 quota-share units and 1,162 raw crab pounds. EBT was 120,000 units and 411 pounds, while WBT was 120,000 units and 713 pounds. EAG was 60,000 units and 20,088 pounds. WAG was 240,000 units and 9,774 pounds. These are ownership or use-cap measures in the report, not retail serving recommendations.
Crab fishery value over time
NOAA Fisheries’ Crab Cost Recovery Report 2022/2023 records total standard ex-vessel value by season. Ex-vessel value is a first-sale measure, so it should not be read as restaurant revenue or grocery-store spending.
In 2022/2023, total standard ex-vessel value was $48,717,841, reported as 58.1% lower than the 2021/2022 value of $116,366,089. The 2022/2023 crab cost recovery fee percentage was calculated at 5.93% but capped at 3.00%. Direct program costs were $2,888,997, about 10% higher than FY2021 direct program costs of $2,594,226.
| Season | Total standard ex-vessel value | Fee liability percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 2021/2022 | $116,366,089 | 2.23% |
| 2020/2021 | $218,768,971 | 1.09% |
| 2019/2020 | $199,226,271 | 1.31% |
| 2018/2019 | $177,868,964 | 1.70% |
| 2017/2018 | $163,998,853 | 1.85% |
| 2016/2017 | $188,017,358 | 1.57% |
| 2015/2016 | $227,733,902 | 1.60% |
| 2014/2015 | $229,198,504 | 1.48% |
| 2013/2014 | $209,386,273 | 0.69% |
| 2012/2013 | $231,535,032 | Reported as 0c in table |
| 2011/2012 | $286,752,062 | 1.23% |
| 2010/2011 | $261,747,837 | 2.67% |
| 2009/2010 | $147,188,073 | Reported as 0c in table |
| 2008/2009 | $212,412,973 | 1.05% |
| 2007/2008 | $202,719,417 | 3.0% |
| 2006/2007 | $119,652,929 | 3.0% |
| 2005/2006 | $138,888,840 | 3.0% |
The report’s historical figures show standard ex-vessel value of $229,198,504 in 2014/2015 and $286,752,062 in 2011/2012, the highest dollar amount in the listed seasons. The lowest listed value was $48,717,841 in 2022/2023. The two “0c” entries are reproduced as they appear in the report table; they are not interpreted here as conventional percentage values.
Vessels, crew, and processing revenue
NOAA Fisheries’ Crab Economic SAFE 2022 provides additional 2021 industry measures. In 2021, 67 vessels actively operated in one or more BSAI crab fisheries, and 66 were active in CR program fisheries.
Revenue-share payments to crab vessel crew members totaled $41.4 million in 2021. Vessel captains received an additional $17.5 million. BSAI crab ex-vessel value increased 59% to $219 million, while first-wholesale value increased 57% to $287 million.
The AIG fisheries recorded a 66% increase in ex-vessel revenues to $72 million in 2021. Processing-sector revenues in those fisheries increased 40% to $76 million. In the BST fishery, ex-vessel revenues nearly doubled from 2020 to $5.3 million, and processing-sector revenues increased 57% to $7.7 million.
These 2021 figures use different economic measures: crew payments, vessel revenue, ex-vessel value, first-wholesale value, and processing-sector revenue. They should be kept separate when comparing the scale of crab-related activity.
China’s live-crab import market
The USDA Foreign Agricultural Service China Imported Live Seafood Products Market Update reported that China imported $1.63 billion of live crab in 2023, up 26% year over year. The United States exported $73 million of live crab to China and held 4.5% of the market.
This is a live-crab trade statistic, not a direct measure of U.S. crab-leg consumption. It also covers China’s import market in 2023 rather than a single Alaska fishery season. Read alongside the NOAA figures, it provides international market context while keeping the geography, product category, and measurement period distinct.