Yuncheng, Shanxi: Hairy crabs from the Yellow River tidal flats "swim" to domestic and overseas markets

China News Service, Shanxi Yuncheng, October 3 (Reporter Li Tingyao) In the golden October, at Xuegongtan, Sunji Town, Linyi County, Shanxi Yuncheng, at the southern foot of the Loess Plateau and on the bank of the Yellow River, the continuous crab ponds are sparkling, and crab farmers row boats through the water and pull up cages. Hairy crabs with green backs and white bellies, golden claws and yellow hairs were fished out of the water and will be transported to thousands of households at home and abroad through cold chain logistics.

"The crab hair here is golden yellow and the shell is as hard as armor." Zhang Jun, a crab farmer in Xuegongtan, said as he grabbed a crab. This native of Wuhu, Anhui Province came to Linyi County to plant lotus roots more than ten years ago and found that the water quality of the Yellow River tidal flat was better. His family has raised crabs for generations, so he thought of raising crabs.

With the mentality of giving it a try, Zhang Jun put crab seedlings into the lotus root field for testing in 2012. In 2014, he tried raising crabs on 30 acres, becoming the "first person to raise crabs" in Linyi County.

The Yellow River tidal flat in Linyi County is vast and is a saline-alkali land. After the introduction of fresh water from the Yellow River, coupled with the natural conditions of a large temperature difference between day and night, it is suitable for the growth of crabs. Zhang Jun told reporters that the crabs raised here taste fresh and sweet, and there is no fishy smell on your hands after eating them. They are also available on the market half a month earlier than in southern China.

"In 2014, the crabs produced in the 30 acres of experimental ponds were sold to Shanghai, and the price per kilogram of the same specifications was 10 yuan (RMB, the same below) higher than other people's crabs." Zhang Jun said that since then, he has expanded the scale of the crab pond year by year, to 3,000 acres today.

Under the leadership of Zhang Jun, hairy crab farming on the Yellow River tidal flat in Linyi County has gradually become popular. At present, the Yellow River hairy crab farming area in Sunji Town alone reaches more than 5,000 acres, with an annual output value exceeding 40 million yuan. At the same time, farmers in Wanrong County, Yongji City and other places adjacent to Linyi County have also joined the ranks of crab farming.

From "raising crabs in the south to the north" to "localized breeding", local crab farming technology is also iterating. "In the past, when crab seedlings were transported from the south, the survival rate was only 20% to 30%." Zhang Jun said that in the second half of 2024, he began to transform the nursery ponds and transport the seed crabs to the south to hatch crab seedlings. In 2025, localized breeding was carried out, and the survival rate of crab seedlings has increased to about 70%.

Nowadays, local crab farmers generally adopt ecological feeding methods, feeding small fish and fermented corn, and the crabs raised have plump yellow paste and firm meat. Zhang Jun said that about 2,000 male crab seedlings or 2,500 female crab seedlings are put into one mu of crab pond, and the output per mu is about 300 kilograms. Yellow River hairy crabs are not only sold to Beijing, Shanghai, Shaanxi and other places, but also to Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand and other places.

From the salt-alkali barren shoals of the Loess Plateau to the rich crab population in the golden autumn, hairy crabs on the banks of the Yellow River are "swimming" to broader domestic and overseas markets.