Qianjiang Crayfish

Qianjiang Crayfish

Qianjiang Crayfish is a geographical indication certification trademark.

Qianjiang Crayfish is a geographical indication agricultural product.

　　Originally known as Procambarus clarkii and commonly referred to as crayfish, Qianjiang crayfish are native to North America. During World War II, they were introduced to China from Japan, and began spreading to Qianjiang in the 1950s. Starting in 2000, Qianjiang successfully pioneered the "rice-crayfish rotation" model, cultivating crayfish in rice paddies, which later evolved into the "rice-crayfish co-culture" model. The crayfish were artificially bred in Qianjiang, leading to rapid growth in farming area and yield. This boom spurred significant development in Qianjiang’s crayfish catering and processing industries. The city now boasts over 1,000 crayfish restaurants featuring the signature "Qianjiang Braised Crayfish." Three intensive aquatic product processing enterprise clusters have also been established: Xiongkou Huashan Park, Haokou Lake Park, and Houhu Baolong Park. The Qianjiang crayfish industry has formed a new industrialized structure integrating scientific research and demonstration, selective breeding of superior varieties, seedling propagation, healthy farming, processing and export, catering services, cold chain logistics, and deep processing. The total output value of the Qianjiang crayfish industry has reached 2 billion yuan. It enjoys the reputations of "China's Hometown of Crayfish" and "China's No. 1 City for Crayfish Processing and Export."

　　In May 2010, Qianjiang City, Hubei Province, was designated as "China's Hometown of Crayfish." On June 18, 2010, the Hubei Provincial Department of Agriculture and the Qianjiang Municipal Government held a press conference at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing to announce that the 2nd China Hubei (Qianjiang) Crayfish Festival would be held from July 7 to 8 in Qianjiang. During the event, Ismail Amat, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, presented Qianjiang with a plaque for "China's Hometown of Crayfish"; Chen Xiaohua, Vice Minister of Agriculture, and Chen Baihuai, Vice Chairman of the Hubei Provincial CPPCC, awarded Qianjiang a plaque for "China's No. 1 City for Crayfish Processing and Export."

　　Qianjiang City has ranked first in China for seven consecutive years in crayfish farming scale, processing capacity, and export earnings. In May this year, Qianjiang was designated as "China's Hometown of Crayfish."

　　World crayfish—look to China; China crayfish—look to Hubei; Hubei crayfish—look to Qianjiang.

　　Geographic Scope

　　Qianjiang crayfish are produced in 18 towns (subdistricts, districts) within Qianjiang City, Hubei Province, including Jiyukou Town, Gaoshibei Town, Wangchang Town, Guanghua Subdistrict, Zhouji Subdistrict, Yangshi Subdistrict, Zongkou Management Area, Yuyang Town, Laoxin Town, Xiongkou Town, Longwan Town, Zhangjin Town, Haokou Town, Yunlianghu Management Area, Xidayuan Management Area, Yuanlin Subdistrict, Zhugentan Town, and Houhu Management Area. The total area covers 14,700 hectares. Qianjiang City is located in central-southern Hubei Province, in the heart of the Jianghan Plain. It borders the Han River to the north and the Yangtze River to the south. Its geographical coordinates are between 112°31′ to 112°59′ east longitude and 30°09′ to 30°35′ north latitude. To the east, it neighbors Xiantao City; to the south, Jianli County; to the west, Jingzhou and Jingmen; and to the north, it faces Tianmen across the Han River.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　1. External Sensory Characteristics: Qianjiang crayfish have plump tails and strong bodies, clean white gills without any off-odors, and clean, transparent abdomens. Their two large front claws are thick, brightly colored, and their shells are generally light blue or light red in color. Mature individuals appear reddish-brown and are free of attachments. 2. Internal Quality Indicators: Edible ratio ≥25%, tail meat accounting for ≥15% of body weight, protein content in the meat ≥17% of fresh weight, fat content ≥0.25% of fresh weight, and total amino acid content ≥76% of protein. 3. Safety Requirements: Compliant with the "Pollution-Free Freshwater Shrimp" (NY5189-2005) standard.