Claws from down under to be on more menus
- Source: Global Times
- [09:53 July 14 2010]
- Comments
A female researcher shows off two Australian red claw crayfish cultivated in Jinshan district, Shanghai. Photo: CFP
By Tang Zhao
Prices of locally-produced Australian red claw crayfish will drop sharply in October as difficulties in breeding the freshwater crustaceans have been overcome to allow far greater production, according to the research team that has been investigating the problem.
The current price of the crayfish is more than 200 yuan ($29.53) per kilogram, but it is expected to drop to around 80 yuan ($11.81) per kilogram once much larger quantities become available in October, Zhao Yunlong, the research team leader and professor at the School of Life Science at East China Normal University, told the Global Times Tuesday.
Shanghai Municipal Agriculture Commission said that the researchers resolved prob-lems such as the low birth rate of the adult animal and the survival rate of its young, following more than three years of research, the Shanghai Morning Post reported Tuesday.
"Because there are not enough baby crayfish, the market price has been high," Zhao said, adding that the low birth rate is mainly caused by female crayfish producing few eggs, while the low survival rate is due to fierce battles between the young.
Zhao said that many producers prefer fast-growing stock such as South American white shrimp, as such species allow them to quickly recover their costs. Slower-growing animals that are more difficult to rear will put off producers, pushing prices even higher, he said.
The research team also developed a specially-made feedstuff for the crayfish, according to Zhao.
Currently, there are three freshwater farms for Australian red claw crayfish in Shanghai, which are located in Baoshan and Jinshan districts and Chongming county. The total output from these farms will be more than 10,000 kilograms in October, Zhao said.
"Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces also have pilot farms to cultivate this special crayfish, but not in mass production at the moment, which is the reason why it is now mostly served in expensive high-end restaurants," he added.
