Recent decrease in the price of Chinese mitten crabs (大陸大閘蟹) has been observed. At the Beijing Xinfadi Market, the highest wholesale price for a single 125-gram female crab per kilogram has dropped by 15 yuan (Chinese currency, the same below). Some interviewed merchants mentioned that due to the low prices, some aquafarmers have chosen to “stop cages” and are unwilling to sell at lower prices.
According to a report by “Blue Whale News” on October 10th, at the Beijing Xinfadi Market, the highest wholesale price for a single 125-gram female crab was 55 yuan on October 9th, compared to 70 yuan on October 1st, a decrease of about 15 yuan in just a week. The highest price at the same period last year was 75 yuan.
The acquisition prices are also decreasing. The quoted price at the Zhangyang Premium Aquatic Product Trading Market in Xinghua, Jiangsu Province, for a single two-liang-sized mother crab per kilogram has decreased from 39 yuan on September 29th to 29 yuan on October 7th.
Several interviewed merchants stated that this year’s crab prices have dropped to near multi-year lows, while the breeding costs remain relatively high. Due to their reluctance to sell at lower prices, some aquafarmers have chosen to “stop cages” recently, meaning they have temporarily halted crabbing activities.
In Shanghai, individual retail booths have started offering crabs at an extremely low price of 5 yuan each. According to a report by “Jiemian News” on October 10th, some booths on Xinhulu Road in Putuo District were selling Nanjing Gaochun medium and small-sized female crabs as low as 5 yuan each, while the two to three-liang-sized Taihu Lake crabs were priced at around 10 yuan each.
As reported by “Shangguan News” earlier, Professor Wang Chenghui from Shanghai Ocean University stated that in the past five to six years, the annual net increase in China’s crab production has been around 20 to 30 thousand tons, reaching 939 thousand tons in 2025. He predicts that this year’s production may approach one million tons.
An experienced practitioner analyzed to “Blue Whale News” that this round of price reduction is related to some crabs not yet mature, changes in the gift-giving market, and consumer purchasing becoming more cautious. The demand for regular crabs is not strong, leading to a more pronounced price drop, while the premium crabs are still in short supply. However, due to the increase in production this year, prices are also somewhat affected.
The practitioner mentioned that the market has gradually warmed up in the past two days and is expected to rebound in price in ten to twenty days as the crabs mature.
There is still a significant price difference between crabs of different sizes. A crab farmer from a breeding base in Pudong, Shanghai, stated that the price for local large Chinese mitten crabs weighing half a jin or more remains around 150 yuan each when taken out of the water, and a pair of male and female crabs is around 300 yuan.
The topic of “Collapse of the Chinese Mitten Crab Market” has sparked discussions. Commentator Shishusi in mainland China expressed on Weibo that increased aquaculture production, concentrated market listings, late arrival of mature crabs for the Mid-Autumn Festival gifting season, contraction in corporate group purchases, and cooling off of crab speculation are the main reasons for the decline in prices of regular crabs. He believes that behind the trend of rational consumption, there is also purchasing power pressure, with residents’ income expectations becoming more cautious, affecting consumers’ purchase choices, especially in housing loans, pensions, and education expenditures.