Figure 22
US Retail Usage Falling Faster than Overall Imports
Annual US frozen snow crab imports (Census) vs Circana retail volume (Food Channel), 2021-2025. Q1 2026 estimated from 10 weeks through March 8.
2025 Retail Volume
63.5M
lbs — lowest since 2022, down 34.7% from 2023 peak
2025 Imports
134.1M
lbs — stable, near 5-year average
Retail Share of Imports
47%
2025 — down from 76% in 2023
Q1 2026 Retail Est.
14.2M
lbs — 17% below Q1 2025
Imports held near their 5-year average in 2025 while retail volume fell to its lowest level since tracking began in 2021. The retail share of total imports dropped from 76% in 2023 to 47% in 2025. The contraction is demand-side — driven by price increases that pushed average retail from $9.35/lb (2023) to $10.24/lb (2025) — not supply-side. Q1 2026 retail volume, estimated at 14.2M lbs, runs 17% below Q1 2025 at an average price of $11.48/lb.
Q1 2026 Estimate Detail
| Metric | Actual (10 wks thru Mar 8) | Estimated Full Q1 (13 wks) |
|---|
| Volume | 10.90M lbs | 14.17M lbs |
| Avg Price | $11.48/lb | $11.48/lb |
| Total Sales | $125.1M | $162.6M |
| vs Q1 2025 (17.1M lbs) | -36.4% | -17.2% |
Source: Seafood Datasearch analysis of U.S. Census Bureau import data and Circana retail scan data (Food Channel, Total US)