Typhoon Krathon’s arrival has caused a great deal of stress for the Chinese mitten crab farmers of Miaoli.
The Chinese mitten crab, a medium-sized crab named for its distinctive hairy claws, is currently in season. At this time of year, they’re not only full of sweet, tasty meat, but they’re also packed with delicious crab roe.
As Typhoon Krathon approached Taiwan, Miaoli’s Chinese mitten crab farmers leaped into action to protect their valuable stock. In addition to installing waist-high partitions, they also pumped extra oxygen into the crab breeding ponds and lowered the water levels to ensure that they don’t overflow, which would allow the crabs to escape en masse.
It’s hard to blame them for taking extra precautions considering the current demand for Chinese mitten crabs. A single half-pound crab goes for about five hundred NT dollars NT$500 (US$16), putting the value of one breeding pond’s worth of 3,000 crabs at a whopping one and a half million NT dollars NT$1,500,000 (US$46,800).
Needless to say, nothing will put a farmer in a crabby mood quite like losing a whole year’s worth of work from one ill-timed typhoon.
Hanna Bilinski for RTI News