Existing methods of analyzing the shadow economy do not always give reliableresults . This is particularly true when studying the illegal harvesting and smug-gling of renewable natural resources . For these areas, it appears useful informa-tion can be obtained through the use of big data, or, more specifically, by apply-ing quantitative analysis to mass media coverage of relevant topics . We argue thatin the Russian Pacific Basin, crab poaching and exporting are closely correlated tokeyword frequency in related media . These results suggest possible applicationsof mass media analysis that include: developing more precise metrics for shadoweconomies; the early detection of illegal economic activities; and, the formulationof evidence-based policy recommendations .