Recently, in the town of Hesha, Suining, Sichuan, a rice and shrimp farming base saw an influx of people after a video blogger claimed that there were plenty of crayfish to be picked and spread rumors that one could pick them as they pleased, saying they were never-ending. At peak times, hundreds of people flocked to “pick” crayfish, causing chaos and heavy losses at the rice and shrimp base.
According to a report by the Beijing Youth Daily, Yao Honglong’s rice and shrimp farming base is located in Zitong Village, Hesha Town, Chuanshan District, Suining City, Sichuan. Recently, a large number of people have been coming to “pick” crayfish every day, leading to chaotic situations.
The out-of-control scene at the rice and shrimp farming base has deeply troubled Yao Honglong. He mentioned that on one night, two to three hundred people came to “pick” shrimp, the roadsides were full of parked cars, and the fields were illuminated by lights. Despite their efforts to stop the crowd, it was to no avail.
Shrimp were being dug out densely along the field, with many people carrying multiple buckets and going hands-on, with some managing to “pick” a dozen or more buckets in one night, totaling at least a hundred catties.
Since early May, 700 mu of fields have been flooded for planting, and these 700 mu have all been “cleaned out” by people picking crayfish.
Yao Honglong revealed that over three years ago, a rice and shrimp farming base was established in Zitong Village with an investment of over 10 million yuan, and to this day, they have yet to recoup six million yuan of the costs. The paddy cultivation only breaks even, and their profits rely entirely on shrimp farming. With tens of thousands of kilograms of shrimp now taken away, he and all the shareholders are heartbroken.
On May 19, Yao Honglong told the Xiaoxiang Morning News that the losses were conservatively estimated to be around 500,000 yuan, which was distressing. Currently, due to the rush to plant rice seedlings, they can only deal with the losses from tens of thousands of kilograms of shrimp that were “picked” after finishing this planting season.
Since the beginning of May, with the busyness of planting seedlings and other tasks, Yao Honglong and the shareholders had no time to deal with the crayfish left in the fields. As people came to “pick” them, they also had no energy to manage the situation.
Later, a social media blogger posted a video online claiming that one could pick crayfish from there “as they pleased” and that they were “endless.” This misinformation sparked a viral trend online, drawing even more people from out of town.
In the early morning of May 16, people were still seen “picking” crayfish in the farming fields.
Realizing that the situation had escalated, Yao Honglong and the shareholders had to start keeping watch at night. Busy with planting and other work during the day, they stayed up all night by the fields, feeling exhausted. Each field had multiple conspicuous signs declaring “No Fishing,” but they did little to dissuade the people coming to pick crayfish.
Yao Honglong lamented, saying, “With so many fields, we can’t guard every inch.” If they were to report to the police, he mentioned he could make dozens of reports each night. However, after reporting, they had to deal with follow-up matters at the police station, and those caught often claimed they “heard they could pick as they pleased,” “I’m not the only one picking,” coupled with minor losses that often only led to verbal warnings from the police. Yet, many individuals had been caught more than once by Yao Honglong and his team.
“It’s very frustrating,” Yao Honglong added. “Not only picking, they also directly stole our land cages. We hadn’t even flooded the fields, and they started stealing and did so for several days.”
Yao Honglong stated that he and the police had contacted the video blogger who first spread the claim of “picking as pleased,” but was unsure if any subsequent clarification statements were made, stating, “It’s useless whether they do or not.”
Lawyer Liu Kai from Zhongwen (Changsha) Law Firm in Beijing mentioned that Yao Honglong’s rice and shrimp farming base explicitly marked areas as off-limits for fishing shrimps, yet people still ignored the signs and conducted illicit activity at night, demonstrating their awareness that their actions were illegal. Such behavior not only violated the law but also caused damage to the civil rights of others due to their wrongful intrusion, thus warranting liability for infringement. Moreover, it could potentially constitute the crime of theft under the Criminal Law.
Liu Kai also expressed that if a blogger disseminated misleading videos leading to a widespread belief that crayfish could be freely picked, resulting in financial losses for Yao Honglong, he could seek compensation through civil litigation against the blogger for the damages caused.
The above incident has sparked heated discussions among netizens, with many expressing outrage at the blatant looting behavior.