For over a decade, Xie Dandan and her family have dedicated their lives to cultivating China’s exquisite ‘hairy crab’ – a culinary treasure renowned for its sweet flesh and distinctive furry claws. Yet, the past three years have been the most challenging they’ve ever faced, as relentless environmental pressures jeopardize their livelihood and this beloved delicacy.
Speaking from among tanks teeming with these highly sought-after crustaceans, 34-year-old Xie Dandan shared her growing concern: ‘Since 2022, the weather seems to worsen with each passing year.’ As she meticulously wrapped a batch in straw for waiting customers, the anxiety was palpable. These crabs, celebrated for their succulent meat and rich golden roe, are now a symbol of climate vulnerability.
“We’ve had to mentally brace ourselves for these inevitable losses,” she admitted, highlighting the profound impact on her family’s resilience.
Xie and other farmers around Jiangsu province’s Yangcheng Lake are desperately seeking innovative methods to preserve their crab populations. Unprecedentedly high temperatures and extended summers since 2022 have severely disrupted the crabs’ delicate breeding cycles, forcing a constant battle for survival.
These exquisite Chinese mitten crabs command hundreds of dollars per set when exported to discerning markets like Singapore and Japan, underscoring their significant economic and cultural value.
“Farmers are truly at the mercy of the sky,” Xie lamented, recalling last year’s devastation. The community was hit hard by the most powerful typhoon to strike China’s east coast since 1949, which tore through their farms, destroying nets and crippling vital oxygenation systems.
Kenneth Leung, a marine environment expert at the City University of Hong Kong, explained the dire consequences of elevated temperatures for these crustaceans. The warmth creates a ‘triple threat,’ impeding their growth, depleting crucial oxygen levels in the water, and accelerating harmful bacterial proliferation.
Optimism for a bountiful harvest this year dissolved as summer temperatures near Suzhou city’s renowned crab-producing lake stubbornly remained above 30 degrees Celsius well into late October, significantly delaying the crabs’ vital maturation process.
The meticulous cultivation process begins with farmers nurturing the crab larvae in ponds for approximately a year. Following this initial stage, the young crabs are transferred to specially fenced areas within the lake, where they undergo several molting cycles – shedding their outer shells to accommodate growth.
According to Xie, these crucial molting phases occur roughly five times between March and the traditional harvest kickoff in late September.
However, intense heat proves deadly during molting, and the extended hot summers further postpone maturity. In a desperate bid to save their stock in 2022, farmers resorted to dumping large blocks of ice directly into the water, Xie recounted.
Over the past three years, eastern China has endured some of its most scorching and prolonged summers, with temperatures frequently soaring to 40 degrees Celsius or even higher for consecutive days.
This past September, weather authorities confirmed that China experienced its hottest summer since 1961. Simultaneously, the northern regions saw their longest period of rainfall in decades, a pattern of extreme weather events that scientists increasingly attribute to climate change.
As a potential mitigation strategy, Leung proposed selective breeding, focusing on cultivating crabs that exhibit a naturally higher tolerance to warmer waters.
Despite the challenges, authorities project a harvest of 10,350 metric tonnes from the lake this year. While this figure is largely consistent with previous years, it remains a slight improvement from last year’s 9,900 tonnes.
Though crab farmers can hope for more favorable weather next season, Xie acknowledges the stark reality: ‘Ultimately, we have very little control over nature.’
“We can only observe if the hairy crabs are capable of adapting,” she concluded with a heavy heart, “and if they cannot, then perhaps this entire industry is simply doomed to disappear.”