Xingcheng Swimming Crab

Xingcheng Swimming Crab

　　Liaoning Xingcheng Swimming Crab: This crab has snow-white meat, tender texture, creamy roe, and delicious flavor, making it a top-grade sea crab.

　　　　The swimming crab is the most common type of sea crab on the market. In biological classification, it belongs to the phylum Arthropoda, class Crustacea. Its carapace features nine saw-like teeth on each side of the front edge, with the last tooth being the largest and extending sideways, giving the central part of the carapace a broad shape with pointed sides, resembling the shuttle used in weaving — hence the name.

　　　　Among the 275 species of crabs on Earth, the swimming crab holds the highest economic value. Common types include the red star swimming crab, the swimming swimming crab, and the three-spined swimming crab. These three belong to the swimming crab genus and subgenus, which are characterized by transverse granular ridges or clustered granules on the carapace surface, distinct zonal divisions, four small teeth along the frontal margin, and a pair of stalked compound eyes. They have five pairs of walking legs, with the first pair being large and hard, known as the chelae, and the fifth pair being flat and oar-like, known as the swimming legs, which provide strong swimming capability. Therefore, swimming crabs are classified as bottom-dwelling swimmers.

　　　　These three types of swimming crabs look very similar. Upon closer inspection, the red star swimming crab can be distinguished by three bright blood-red oval spots on its carapace, which are not found on the other two. The swimming swimming crab has coarser granules and distinct cloudy cloud patterns on its carapace, while the three-spined swimming crab has fine granules, no cloud patterns, and three wart-like protrusions, hence its name. The latter is the most numerous and highest-yielding among swimming crabs, accounting for about 90% of the total production. It is widely distributed along China's coasts, with the highest yields found off the coasts of Zhejiang, Shandong, and Fujian.

　　　　Swimming crabs live in shallow coastal waters at depths of 10–50 meters, with the densest populations found in areas with sandy or muddy seabeds at 10–30 meters depth. They avoid bright light, often hiding on the seabed during the day and swimming up to shallower layers at night to feed. They particularly enjoy animal carcasses — a dead fish or shrimp can attract a swarm of feeding crabs. Fishermen take advantage of this behavior by setting drift gillnets baited with fish slices or chicken at night to lure and catch the crabs. Trawling and baited hook fishing are also used, often yielding larger live specimens.

　　　　Swimming crabs hibernate in deeper waters during winter. From November to February of the following year, female crabs are at their plumpest, with well-developed gonads and bright orange ovaries that extend to the sides of the thorax — marking the peak winter fishing season when they are “fat and full of roe.” The busiest period is from December to January. Spring and early summer is the breeding season for swimming crabs, with spawning periods shifting from south to north along China’s coast. In Guangdong and Fujian, spawning occurs earlier, from March to April; in the Bohai and Yellow Seas, it’s from April to May; and in Zhejiang, it lasts from April to July. The egg yield of female crabs is proportional to their size, usually ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 eggs attached to the hairs of their abdominal limbs, forming "berried" crabs. These gather in clusters in estuarine areas during migration — marking the spring fishing season.

　　　　Swimming crab meat is rich, tender, delicious, and nutritious. It is not only beloved by Chinese people but also one of China’s major seafood exports. As such, swimming crabs have long been regarded as an important aquatic resource in China.