Fisheries and Oceans Minister Marianne Sivertsen Næss (Ap) recently met the Minister for Chinese Customs and Veterinary Authorities in Beijing. Export of live Norwegian snow crab was an important point during the talks. – Live snow crab has increasing interest in several Asian markets. The species has the potential to develop from a raw material to a brand, as live king crabs did in their time, says Sivertsen Næss. Like the king crab, the snow crab has become one of Norway’s largest export products to Asia and North America. Photo: Ksenia Novikova / news So far, China has been a closed market for live Norwegian snow crab. Director for international policy at Sjømat Norge, Tor Davidsen, hopes and believes this is the key that can open up increasing income for the fishing industry, especially in Finnmark. – We have worked for a long time to open up the import of live snow crab to China. It is one of the few products that has so far not been allowed to be imported into the country. It has been a challenge since China is perhaps the largest market globally for snow crab in particular, says Davidsen. Own quotas He points out that the Ministry of Trade and Fisheries has set aside own quotas for deliveries of live snow crab to land plants in Norway. – Especially for Finnmark, this could be of great importance considering that the cod quotas are as low as they are now, says Tor Davidsen, director of international policy at Sjømat Norge. Photo: Siv Dolmen / Sjømat Norge – Especially for Finnmark, this can be of great importance considering that the cod quotas are as low as they are now. It can provide the necessary activity in a number of facilities along the coast, which will come in handy, says Davidsen. The Minister of Fisheries describes the talks with the Chinese authorities as very promising. – In the meeting with the Chinese minister, we received positive signals that China will soon, and with great probability, approve the import of live snow crab from Norway. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority still has some work to do before we are completely on target, she says. Popular in Asia The government decided earlier this year that 10 per cent of the total snow crab quota will be set aside for the delivery of live snow crab from 2025. This year’s quota is 9,758 tonnes. The Asian market is one of the main reasons why seafood exports have soared in recent years. Here, Fisheries and Oceans Minister Marianne Sivertsen Næss meets her Japanese colleague Tetsushi Sakamoto. Photo: Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries Already in March, 2,615 tonnes of snow crab were caught to a value of NOK 285 million. Of this, five tonnes were live snow crab, which mainly went to South Korea. – If we get access to the Chinese market, it could make the snow crab even more profitable than it is today. At the same time, this can help to create increased activity and positive ripple effects for the Norwegian agricultural industry, says Sivertsen Næss. Published 09.11.2024, at 19.23
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China opens the door for Norwegian snow crab – news Troms and Finnmark
