Applause for claws

This year, the island is expected to harvest 450 metric tons of hairy crabs, up 12.5 percent compared to five years ago. The island is no stranger to this business, having started the breeding of hairy crabs in the 1980s. Back then, the locals only grew baby crabs that were sold to crab farmers who operated in bigger lakes across China. It was only after the turn of the millennium that the local government decided to shore up the island's production and sell mature crabs after identifying the growth potential of the industry.

Among those spearheading the development of the industry on the island is Chongming native Huang Chun, who was scouted by the island's officials in 2009 after he made a reputation for himself as an accomplished breeder in other parts of the country. Huang's first task was to raise the weight and quality of the crabs, which paled in comparison with those from Yangcheng Lake.

"The hairy crabs grown in Chongming used to be nicknamed wuxiaoxie, or "dark small crab", because most male crabs used to weigh less than 150 grams, while females were less than 100 grams," he says. "But I wanted to change that."

To achieve his goal, Huang worked closely with Wang Chenghui, a professor at Shanghai Ocean University, who had already developed a new breed of the hairy crab called Jianghai 21.