Fairy crab ponds in Huagang town, Hailing district. [Photo/tzhl.gov.cn]
The hairy crabs produced in Hailing district, Taizhou, Jiangsu province, have recently begun hitting the market.
Zhang Shuling, a crab farmer in Huagang town, is busy catching, tying, packaging, and delivering the seasonal delicacy.
Huagang town is home to vast amounts of high-quality water resources, ample sunlight, and abundant aquatic plants, which are suitable for crab farming. Locally produced crabs stand out in terms of both quality and taste.
"We cultivate premium hairy crabs, feeding them frozen fish, corn, and snails, which lead to fatter crabs with more roes. In addition, we have invested 60,000 yuan ($8,550.15) to 70,000 yuan in oxygenation equipment to create a healthy growth environment", said Zhang.
The crabs of this year are strong and healthy, and the yield is expected to be 30 percent higher than last year. The first batch of crabs is already on the market, with female crabs weighing 3.5 liang (175 grams) selling for over 100 yuan per jin (500 grams), according to Zhang.
This year, Hailing district has farmed over 20,000 mu (133.33 hectares) of hairy crabs, with an expected yield of over 300 jin per mu.