Shrimp and scallops remain in demand as shoppers splurge on seafood for New Year’s Eve celebrations.
“This year, the staples are shrimp and lobster tails,” said Jim Nixon, vice president and general manager of Valley Seafood on North Washington Street in Wilkes-Barre. “Besides the warm-water lobsters, we carry three different types of cold-water lobster tails — African, Canadian and Australian. They’re a big, big mover down here, along with scallops and haddock.”
Ian Lopera and Matthew Cooper stocks snow crabs at the outdoor seafood market at Cooper’s Seafood House in Scranton Tuesday, December 30, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Nixon noted the prices of many seafood favorites remained stable since last year with one significant outlier.
“The biggest hassle this year is the price of king crab legs,” he said. “They’re a lot higher than normal — probably double the price. This year, I believe they’re like $70 a pound.”
Several factors contributed to the substantial increase in the cost of crab legs, Nixon said.
“It’s a little bit of everything … from tariffs to different countries not selling them, to limits on how much they can fish the waters,” he said. “They’re not as plentiful as normal this year.”
Jack Cooper, co-owner of Cooper’s Seafood House on North Washington Avenue in Scranton, stressed that customers continue to purchase Alaskan king crab despite the elevated prices.
A variety of seafood options are for sale at the outdoor seafood market at Cooper’s Seafood House in Scranton Tuesday, December 30, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
“It’s more expensive, but it’s still selling,” Cooper said. “It sold much more than I ever thought for Christmas Eve. People wanted it so we got it again for New Year’s Eve, and people are still calling and asking about it. They’re not overly worried about the price; they want quality.”
Cooper’s sells a 10-pound box with six to nine king crab legs for $90 a pound — about double the price from last year, Cooper said.
“The profit margin is very small,” he said. “I’m doing it as a convenience for our customers.”
The Russian embargo drastically drove up king crab prices, Cooper said.
Shrimp is for sale at the outdoor seafood market at Cooper’s Seafood House in Scranton Tuesday, December 30, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
“The Russians fish most of the crab, and the American industry was almost put out of business,” he said. “The only place to buy king crab was Norway, and their prices were just astronomical because the Japanese buy a ton of live king crab from the Norwegians or anybody they can get it from. That pushed the price through the roof.”
Mark Bradigan, director of operations for Gerrity’s Supermarkets, which operates 10 grocery stores throughout Lackawanna, Luzerne and Northampton counties, stated the price for a popular crustacean remained relatively flat.
“The cost of lobsters — which are huge for New Year’s — is about the same as it was last year,” he said. “They were a little cheaper last year, so our retail prices are the same this year. We’re (even) $1 cheaper on the 4-ounce, cold-water, Canadian tail, which are $5.99 each.”
Gerrity’s opted not to sell king crab legs due to the exorbitant costs.
“They were very expensive last year and they are ridiculously expensive this year, so we’ve stayed away from them,” Bradigan said. “There is huge demand and limited supply. We would have to sell the 16-to-20-count red king crab legs for about $50 or $60 a pound. To put that in perspective, 10 years ago, we would sell the six-to-nine or nine-to-12-count king crab, which are the bigger ones, for $30 a pound.”
King Crab and Snow Crab legs are for sale at the outdoor seafood market at Cooper’s Seafood House in Scranton Tuesday, December 30, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Instead, Gerrity’s sells 5-ounce to 8-ounce snow crab clusters for $9.99 a pound, Bradigan said.
Certain varieties of shrimp and scallops cost more this year, Bradigan added.
“Every year, the (shrimp) harvest is a little bit different,” he said. “There were certain sizes that were still a great value and certain sizes that were a little bit more expensive. Fresh, dry sea scallops are more expensive this year by about $5 a pound — $30 to $35.”
Nixon believes the combination of Valley Seafood’s longevity — nearly 80 years in business — and reputation, along with family traditions, leads to strong sales around the holidays.
“We’ve been as busy as usual,” he said. “The holidays come and people buy whatever they want because they only treat themselves once a year.”