Expect To Pay More For Crab This Summer
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Expect to pay a higher price for crab meat in the coming months. A shortage of crab meat from Asia is to blame.
Trevor Gustafson is the COO of Lawrence Seafood, a distributor in South Philadelphia serving the Main line, Jersey Shore, and parts of Delaware.
"Over here in the U.S. we have the blue swimming crab, which is what you get when you go to Maryland. And they don't produce enough to cover all the demand in the U.S., so we have to elsewhere to get it," Gustafson explained.
Including the Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia, because the species there most closely resembles the Maryland blue swimming crab.
"Right now, what we are experiencing is an extreme shortage because Thailand and the Philippines have not been producing," Gustafson said.
This means all the demand is put on Indonesia.
"From my purchase order two months ago, to my purchase order today, it's gone up on jumbo lump $10 a pound," said Gustafson.
An increase of nearly 100%.
Gustafson expects the shortage to last through September.