Dungeness crabbers claim retailers pinching customers

Associated Press

WESTPORT — Crabbers are urging stores to drop their Dungeness prices, saying they’re too high to attract customers.

Some stores are charging up to $7.99 per pound — as much as three times what they pay for it, and as much as five times what fishermen receive from processing companies.

"The people aren’t buying it," said Mark Donovick, president of the Washington Marketing Association, which negotiates the prices crabbers receive. "The fishermen are mad as hell to see the consumer being gouged on our seafood products when the fishermen are getting low prices."

Fishermen typically sell their crabs to processors, which cook them and sell them to stores or to other distributors. The crabbers currently earn $1.60 per pound, and the stores are selling the whole, cooked crab for anywhere from $3.99 to $6.99.

At least one processing company, Washington Crab Producers, is offering a discount in hopes it will persuade stores to cut their prices, said General Manager Glen White.

"We want the store to generate business at $2.99 a pound," he said. "So we’re cooking them, boxing them and shipping them at $2.20 a pound right now."

Top Foods in Olympia was selling the fresh-cooked crab for $5.99 per pound this weekend, and Safeway in Tumwater — which usually sells at $7.99 — had it on sale for $3.99. In Seattle, Safeway offered it for $6.99; Larry’s Markets, for $4.99.

Corporate offices for the supermarkets were closed Sunday and no one could be reached to discuss pricing decisions.

Tom Kelley, president of Washington Dungeness Crab Fishermen’s Association, said this season’s catch has been much larger than last season’s, but "dollar-wise, it’s probably going to be a similar season to last year" because the supply is piling up.

In December, non-tribal fishermen caught 5.2 million pounds of crab. In December 2000, they caught 2.4 million pounds.

One exception to the high prices was the Fred Meyer in Tumwater, which had crab for $2.99. Another was a smaller retailer, Coley’s Seafood and Sub Shop near the docks in Westport. Owner Bob McPherson said he can offer the crab for $3.49 per pound because of his shop’s location and size.

Larger stores must consider several factors in setting their prices, he said. The crab loses weight when it’s cooked, there are dock tariffs to pay and some crabs will go bad before they’re sold.

Still, he said, the prices being charged by most stores are too much.

"I think $5.99 for fresh crab, based on what the fishermen are getting right now, is not fair," he said.