Crayfish, primarily enjoyed in summer, have created an industry chain in Qianjiang City, central China’s Hubei province.
41-year-old Su Lijun works in the industry. With 1,500 workers peeling crayfish for him, the factory branch that Su manages can easily produce 12 tons of crayfish meat per day, while company wide, the maximum production can reach 300 tons every day.
According to an annual report on China’s crayfish industry development, the total crayfish yield in Qianjiang was 70,413 tons in 2017, the 3rd largest in the country.
Crayfish were first discovered in Qianjiang in 1988. During the years that followed, the crustacean was only served up on local dinner tables. It wasn't until 2001 that farmers started to catch and sell the crayfish at markets.