Venezuelan crabmeat conservation begins on August 15 on Lake Maracaibo. This means they must have their pots out of the water by then. The plants will still pick and ship into Miami for the next week, so we generally have fresh Venezuelan crab almost until Labor Day weekend. What happens after that? That is up to you. For sure, there will be plenty of crabmeat available from a variety of sources.
Pasteurized Indonesian Jumbo: The market has dropped dramatically since the start of the year and is currently in the low 30s. The market may level off during conservation, but we expect it to continue falling from November through the end of the year.
Fresh Gulf Crabmeat: There seems to be a lot of crabs in the Gulf right now. Prices are on par with Venezuelan crabmeat, and we expect prices to go lower in September.
Fresh Maryland & Carolina Meat: These are still not a bargain yet, but prices are steadily declining. When the kids go back to school in late August, we expect the hard crab market to quickly plummet. Picking houses are the “hard crab buyer of last resort,” and they will have much lower raw material costs, allowing them to sell their crab meat for less money.
Fresh Mexican Meat: They are producing good quantities of meat right now, and that should continue all the way through the fall. Currently, the prices are lower than Venezuelan.