Demand for crab soars ahead of Chinese New Year

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‍Brown crabs have become increasingly popular in China, especially during the Chinese New Year.

Since mid-January, China's imports of brown crab have soared as people prepare for the most important festival of the year.

Scrabster Harbor, a UK port close to the Northern fishing grounds, is one of the main exporters of brown crabs. The crustaceans used to primarily be sent to France and Spain, but now the demand from China is increasing.

Crabs caught from the sea. /CGTN Photo

Freshly imported seafood has been more accessible after the Chinese government slashed import tariffs from 14 percent to seven percent last December.

Heading into the Chinese New Year, 11 tons of brown crabs were hauled at Scrabster Harbor each week, with half of them being exported to China.

Newly caught crabs. /CGTN Photo‍

“There has been an increase in brown crabs. I would say over the last four years it increased. We mainly export to China from November to the end of March,” said Victoria Spencer, Operation Manager of JPL Shellfish. “In the recent three weeks, our brown crab export to China increased by 50 percent.”

In 2016 the UK exported 1,898 tons of crab to China, an average of 37 tons a week.

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