California Crabbers Sue Seafood Giant Alleging Price was Fixed

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Dozens of California crab fishermen have sued one of the largest seafood processors in the country, alleging illegal price fixing for Dungeness crabs.

On Tuesday, longtime California crab fisher Brand Little filed a lawsuit in San Francisco federal court on his behalf and about 1,400 other commercial crab fishers, alleging that a conglomerate of companies known as Pacific Seafood has been artificially underpricing crabbers for years.

The complaint alleges that Pacific Seafood illegally set prices for Dungeness by blocking major competitors in the market and forcing other fish buyers into agreement through blacklisting and boycotts, among other forceful tactics.

“Pacific Seafood just needs to take their finger off the scale and let the free market work. That’s all we ask,” Little said in a press release from law firm Gross Klein PC, which represents him and other crabbers. “Unless Pacific Seafood’s manipulation of the Dungeness Crab Wholesale Market is stopped, independent commercial crabs like myself and the rest of the class will disappear.”

The boat leaves San Francisco before sunset to fish for Dungeness crabs. | Mike Cuba/Standard

Dan Occhipinty, general counsel for Pacific Seafood, told The Standard he was confident the lawsuit would be dismissed.

“This is a completely unfounded lawsuit filed by a fisherman who does not do business with us and does not know our company at all,” Okchipinty said in an emailed statement.

Little believes the success of the lawsuit against Pacific Seafood is critical to the health of the industry.

“There will only be a small group of Pacific Seafood sharecroppers, not more than a thousand independent businesses,” Little said. “I’m not going to sit back and just watch it happen without a fight.”

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