Large-scale harvesting of farmed blue crabs is now underway in Qingdao City of Shandong Province, one of the major marine aquaculture centers in east China.
At a blue crab farming zone in Qingdao's Dingzi Bay, farmers begin working at 04:00, hauling in nets, sorting crabs, and packing them for shipment.
"(For each trip, we work for about) four hours, hauling in around 200 to 250 kilograms. We catch the males first. Females can only be harvested after the Mid-Autumn Festival, once their crab cream is fully developed," said Liu Jun, a local farmer.
The inflow of freshwater from rivers lowers salinity in the Dingzi Bay, creating a favorable environment for blue crab growing, and making it a prime crab-farming area in Qingdao. According to local farmers, this year's favorable weather and moderate rainfall are expected to boost crab yields by five percent, while the prices have dropped.
"As of now, most of the crabs weigh between 150 and 250 grams each. They are buying for 50 yuan (7 U.S. dollars) per 500 grams, cheaper than last year. It was 73 to 75 yuan (about 10 U.S. dollars) last year," said Zheng Gang, a local crab farmer.
Buyers are also standing by during the harvesting season. From just one farming zone, nearly 10 tons of crabs are shipped nationwide each day.
"We send two to three trucks of crabs daily to markets, where the crabs are sorted and then air-freighted to inland cities such as Zhengzhou, Xi'an, and Taiyuan -- and even as far as Xinjiang," said a buyer.
East China's Shandong Province sees crab harvest in full swing
East China's Shandong Province sees crab harvest in full swing
