Opinion | Trade in fake Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs rampant
The Yangcheng Lake crab is a delicacy to savour, but that crustacean on your plate is probably fake
It's hairy crab season again, but most people tucking into the famed Yangcheng Lake variety will probably be eating high-priced fakes.
Traders admit that even crabs served in lakeside restaurants are unlikely to be genuine Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs - defined as those raised in the lake for at least six months - Shanghai's Oriental Morning Post reported.
Most of the crustaceans sold as Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs on the mainland are actually grown in other waters. Some are known as "bathing crabs" because they spend a short time - several hours to a couple of weeks - in the lake before being passed off as the genuine article.
Counterfeiting is rampant despite years of crackdowns by the local crab industry association and the authorities.
Total annual output from the lake, in the south of Jiangsu province, near Suzhou , is less than 3,000 tonnes, but booming demand from mainland cities, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan sees upwards of 100,000 tonnes of "Yangcheng" crabs sold each year. A surge in online sales over the past two years has exacerbated the problem.
Despite massive demand, the amount of fake product on the market means that prices for Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs have remained more or less the same for at least three years.