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Market Rep Crab report in the fi rst quarter of 2012 have also declined — down 14 percent year-on-year in Janu- ary; down 6 percent in February; and down 3 percent in March. Prices have risen slightly as a result of the depleted supply and stood at £1,474 (€1,835, $2,292) per MT in March, a 4 percent increase from March 2011. Around 60 percent of the U.K. crab catch is exported live to Eu- rope and in particular to Spain and France. However, there's an increasing trend to add product value through processing for both domestic con- sumption and overseas export. — Jason Holland More Canadian lobster heads to Asia American buyers scramble for product as Maine gears up A s Canadian lobster producers send more of their spring catch to China and other Asian markets, buyers in the United States say it's harder and more expensive to procure enough qual- ity product. With demand for Ca- nadian lobster in China soaring — reports say sales went from around $1 million in 2010 to $30 million last year, with further growth expected this year — Canadian suppliers are sending more of their catch overseas, leaving less fi rst-of-the-season lobster for U.S. buyers. Add to that the lobster "When you get to virtual parity between the U.S. and Canadian dollars, which makes it less profi table for Ca- nadian processors to sell product to the U.S. market. A shortage of supply pushed prices to $20 a pound for meat and tail products that a few years ago were go- ing for $12 or $13. Some U.S. buyers are fi nding some customers are choosing not to buy as much — or at all — because they can't make the price point work. Another poor year for Argentina squid Politics, labor discord add chaos but don't impact prices A rgentina's squid fi shery has been a disappointment. While historical aver- age landings for shortfi n squid (Illex argentinus) in Argentina tended to be around 200,000 metric tons (MT), they have since plummeted, with catches for the last three years (27,503 MT in 2009, 85,988 MT in 2010 and 74,277 MT in 2011). However, Ar- gentina's relative share of the total would ap- pear to have increased, as according to FAO statistics global landings of the species fell from 955,044 MT in 2007 to 189,967 MT in 2010. Last year's season ended disappointing early because of the small size of specimens caught and the need to ensure reproduction. T e fi shery, which in- cludes areas around the Falkland Islands, runs from December or Jan- uary through August or September every year. While initial indica- tions hinted that squid fi shermen's luck might change, subsequent data has confi rmed yet another disappoint- ing year, with just over 37,000 MT landed in Argentina as of the end Visit us online at www.seafoodbusiness.com squid of March, a very similar amount to the previous year's catch at that same time. Fleets have since moved further south but have not reported signifi cant changes in fi shing activity. It is possible that po- litical diff erences with the United Kingdom over the Falklands (Malvinas in Argentina) have made managing the species more diffi - cult. T is year, the 30th anniversary of the war over the archipelago, Argentina convinced its South American neigh- bors not to allow ships fl ying the Falklands fl ag into port, which was seen as an attempt to hit the islanders' share $20, it's a danger point," says one U.S. distributor who purchased around 200,000 pounds of lob- ster meat and tails to get him to August, and who had to scramble af- ter one of his suppliers told him halfway into the season he wouldn't be able to fi ll his orders because they decided to only sell whole cooked lobsters to China. "Twelve dollars is too low, 20 is too high, 16 bucks is fair." Mid-June prices were around $19.50 a pound for 2-pound packs of claws and knuckles, dry, and about $1 a pound less for 2-pound of the squid market. In addition, there have been news reports the Argentine government moved the season in national waters ahead to catch the product before it reached the islands, potentially aff ecting re- productive cycles. China and Spain are reported to be the main customers for Argentine squid and as of January this year, average prices were around $2,200 per MT, virtually un- changed over the year before. However, at press time there were rising tensions between Argentine merchant marine unions and ship owners, with the former threatening to go on strike. T e of this situation could impact the — Brewington & Co. evolution market. packs of claws, knuck- les and legs. Most of the lob- ster from Canada was shipped to China as whole cooked lobsters, selling for around $6 a pound, the distribu- tor says. Selling cooked product makes it easier for processors, who need fewer workers to process cooked lobsters. One buyer for a U.S. company foodservice that sells to more than 3,000 customers says when the season fi rst opened he bought a few thousand cases for $17.75 a pound, and booked some future deliveries for $18.25 a pound. — SFB Staff Eel report (Continued from page 12) increase in Chinese supply and because of the reduced demand. T ere is an order of preference among eel species for the Japa- nese market: Anguilla japonica (Japanese eel), then Anguilla (American eel) port rotrata and lastly Anguilla anguilla (European eel). China sources elvers from the state of Maine. High demand drove elver prices sky-high last year prompting a "gold rush." Feeding the shortage is a European ban on elver harvesting. Chinese buyers turned temporarily to the Phil- ippines, but a ban was imposed in May to halt rampant overfi shing. — Chris Loew July 2012 SeaFood Business 13