Norway lifts snow crab quota 35% for 2027 as survey indices rise
Norway will allow 16,594 tonnes of snow crab to be taken in 2027, 35% more than the 12,336 tonnes advised and set for 2026. The increase follows the Institute of Marine Research, which told managers that every survey index in its assessment came in higher this year than last.
Read the timing before the volume. Norway's snow crab fishery is closed from 1 July to 30 November, so the first landings against the new quota will not appear until December, and the real effect lands in the 2027 season rather than this quarter.
The Numbers
The Institute of Marine Research (HI) recommended a ceiling of 16,594 tonnes for 2027, up from 12,336 tonnes in 2026, a year in which the advice and the final quota happened to be identical. Stock assessment lead Ann Merete Hjelset said the higher ceiling reflects surveys that were stronger across the board in 2026 than in 2025. Norwegian authorities then followed the advice and lifted the quota by the same 35% (Undercurrent News).
Current supply is close to nothing. Norway exported 300 tonnes of snow crab in the third quarter of 2026, worth NOK 56m (about US$5.85m), down 68% in volume and 67% in value year on year, according to the Norwegian Seafood Council. September alone was 24 tonnes for NOK 4m, with volume off 46% and value off 43%. Vietnam, the UK and the Netherlands were the largest destinations that month.
King crab moved the same way. September exports were 117 tonnes worth NOK 62m, with value down 63% and volume down 47%. Frozen king crab fell 74% to 46 tonnes, while live shipments rose 61% to 71 tonnes. Live sales to the United States reached 29 tonnes at NOK 497 per kilogram, roughly US$51.94.
What It Means for Buyers
Nothing in this changes the fourth quarter. The fishery has been shut since July, offers are coming out of cold stores, and holders of frozen snow crab know there is no new catch until December. For the next month this is a seller's market.
From December the arithmetic starts to move, slowly. The extra 4,258 tonnes is small against global whitefish or shrimp trade but large for a niche fishery that shipped 300 tonnes in an entire quarter. Norwegian snow crab has been flowing to Vietnam, the UK and the Netherlands, mainly for processing and re-export, so that is where additional raw material will be absorbed first.
The substitution trade is the part most buyers underweight. Processed crab lines, including surimi crab sticks and swimming crab, have been picking up demand while king and snow crab stayed expensive. If the 2027 quota does soften snow crab cluster prices, part of that trade-down demand walks back. Buyers who built 2026 volumes on the assumption that real crab stays scarce should test that assumption for the second half of 2027, not the first.
On contracting: the direction of supply is up, so locking 2027 at 2026 peak levels looks like poor value. The direction of delivery is not up until December, so a January arrival date should be treated as a promise rather than a schedule.
What to Watch
The final 2027 Norwegian regulation, including by-catch rules and vessel group allocations
First December landings and the opening price prints from Norwegian buyers
Q1 2027 import volumes into Vietnam, the UK and the Netherlands
Whether Alaska's red king crab season, opening in October, pulls US buyers away from snow crab
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This article was researched and drafted with the assistance of AI and is published for general information only. It does not constitute trading, pricing, or investment advice, and readers should verify all figures against the original sources linked above before making commercial decisions. Content on this page is partly AI-generated. Easy Seafood makes no warranty as to its accuracy or completeness.
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