May 8, 2014 — A poor commercial catch and steady demand from Asia are pushing prices for local Dungeness crab so high that some shops no longer carry them.
Others have given up trying to make money on the crab and are selling it just to break even.
“In 18 years we’ve been in business, we’ve never seen it so crazy,” said Jimmy Chiong, owner of the Oakridge Fish Market at Oakridge Centre Mall.
He is charging customers $16 per pound for live crab, but that’s a bargain as he is only looking to break even from the product, which is now selling for more than double what markets would have charged a year ago.
Right now, Chiong is just trying to “keep customers happy.”
At Seafood City on Granville Island, they are selling the Dungeness crab for $20.90 a pound, compared to the $10.90 they would have charged a year ago.
Read the full story at The Vancouver Sun