Venezuela to resume blue crab exports to the United States

Published at: 19/02/2026 09:13 PM

The state of Zulia will soon reactivate exports of blue crab to the United States market, said the Minister of Popular Power for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Juan Carlos Loyo, who met with the governor of the entity, Luis Caldera, spokespersons for the councils of fishermen and aquaculturists in the region, business associations and owners of processing plants for the species.

Loyo specified that since the 1970s, the Zulia blue crab had its main export market in the United States, but last year the authorities of the Department of Fisheries of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, known as NOA, issued a resolution limiting the entry of lake and marine products from those countries whose environmental legislation does not protect marine mammals.

Due to the sanctions imposed unilaterally on Venezuela by the US government, the necessary administrative procedures to obtain permission from the NOA could not be carried out and the export of blue crab and other products was halted.

Given the new situation between the Miraflores Palace and the White House, steps are being taken to resume sales of the lake product to the United States, once the permission in question has been obtained, Loyo said.

He explained that marine mammals are protected by Venezuelan environmental legislation because, among other aspects, there is no trawling on the country's coasts, the main threat against these species, an activity that was eliminated by decree of the President of the Republic, Hugo Chávez in 2008.

That is why, “in a matter of days”, according to Loyo, shipments of blue crab to the US market can resume.

In this regard, he pointed out that any community of fishermen, businessmen or owners of product processing plants in Lake Maracaibo is authorized to carry out the activity in accordance with current national regulations and with respect to the provisions regarding the size and weight of the crustacean.

The permits to be processed by fishermen, businessmen and owners of processing plants will be exonerated and a special commission chaired by Governor Luis Caldera was created to monitor the process of reactivating exports. Among other measures, it seeks to ensure a supply of gasoline commensurate with fishing activities.

Lake Maracaibo is the only place in Venezuela where blue crab is collected and processed, and next to the Gulf of Mexico and the United States, it is one of only three places on the continent where the species is found.

Governor Caldera noted that the activity involves more than 20,000 people, with 22 processing plants and more than 4,000 vessels. In 2025, the production of exportable processed products reached 2,815 tons with a total fresh product production of 10,200 tons.

The Ministry of Fisheries and the Government of Zulia began a census process among fishermen in the Lake Maracaibo region to move forward jointly with businessmen and owners of processing plants in the reactivation of exports.

In total, 19 municipalities in Zulia, one in Táchira and the other in Mérida, all with shores on the lake, benefit from the collection of blue crab.

Mazo News Team