Imported King Crab
Although many varieties of crabs live in North American waters, the United States also imports crab from other countries. Often, exporters will sell crab caught here in the U.S. to other countries where they can receive a higher price, while importing cheaper crab, often from Russia, for local consumption in the U.S. Exacerbating the situation, much of the crab caught in Russia exceeds the total allowable catch, making it illegal.
Dungeness, king, snow and other crabs are all imported varieties of crab, but imported Russian king crab is of the greatest concern. In 2005, close to 70% of all king crab sold in the U.S. was imported, 90% of which came from the Russian Federation. Russian king crab has often been found packaged deceptively to insinuate Alaskan origin.
Imported king crab is one of Food & Water Watch’s Dirty Dozen.
For more information on troubles with imported seafood, see Food & Water Watch’s 2007 report, Import Alert.
