Crayfish harvested in C China's Hubei in winter
Photo shows two farmers in a crayfish breeding base in Houhu Management Zone, Qianjiang city, central China's Hubei Province. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Juan)
In central China's Hubei Province, the winter crayfish harvest season is in progress thanks to breakthroughs in winter crayfish farming methods.
At a farming base in Houhu Management Zone, Qianjiang city of Hubei, farmers were busy bringing in their winter catch. "Look at this one! It's big, with just the right shell texture, firm and plump meat—it's bound to be delicious," said farmer Huang Liqiang as he showed a freshly caught crayfish. "Now we can sell crayfish even in winter," Huang said with a smile.
Traditionally, winter is an off-season period for crayfish farming. But now crayfish cultivation is also possible in cold months. According to Yang Yungang, deputy head of the Qianjiang Crayfish Development and Promotion Center, the process begins with releasing baby crayfish in autumn, and by winter, they are ready for harvest. "The winter crayfish from Qianjiang represents a seasonal advantage," said Yang.
Yang added that during summer, crayfish were sold for less than 40 yuan (about $5.48) per kilogram in the market. But during winter and early spring, larger ones are priced at over 100 yuan per kilogram. "During the Spring Festival in particular, market demand exceeds supply."
The Hubei Crayfish Industry Technology Research Institute, together with seven research institutions including the Institute of Hydrobiology (IHB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, leveraged heat retention of pond bottoms during autumn and winter and combined those pond bottoms with aquatic plants suitable for crayfish farming, blazing a trail of winter crayfish farming.
Intensive pond farming of crayfish throughout the year in Qianjiang covers an area of 14,000 mu (about 933.33 hectares). In 2024, the winter crayfish farming model covered an area of 300 mu in Houhu. "The scale will be expanded in 2025," said Yang.
This new mode provides aquaculture households with an extra income of 5,000 yuan per mu in winter on average.
Farmers harvest crayfish in a crayfish breeding base in Houhu Management Zone, Qianjiang city, central China's Hubei Province. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Juan)
Farmers harvest crayfish in a crayfish breeding base in Houhu Management Zone, Qianjiang city, central China's Hubei Province. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Juan)
Farmers harvest crayfish in a crayfish breeding base in Houhu Management Zone, Qianjiang city, central China's Hubei Province. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Juan)
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