Can flower crabs and three-spot crabs be eaten without worry? Xu Chengyu on why sustainable Wanli crabs need our attention

Text / Xu Chengyu (founder of Upwelling Ocean and the Responsible Fisheries Index)

Early autumn has arrived, and the crabs are fat! Tomorrow (September 12), the Wanli crab promotional event will kick off. Dozens of "crab boats" in Wanli Harbor are busy preparing to go to sea, hoping for a bountiful fishing season this year. Cart after cart of new crab pots are being loaded onto the boats one by one; these boats, some coming from as far away as Kaohsiung, are getting ready to show their skills in the northeast monsoon.

Wanli is an important production area for crabs. The locally abundant flower crab, three-spot crab, and stone swimming crab are three of the species of "blue swimming crab," and New Taipei City specifically registered the trademark "Wanli Crab" to promote locally produced crabs. In the government's various promotional efforts for Wanli crabs, it constantly emphasizes that Wanli crab production has "good management and conforms to ecological conservation," but in fact the market supply of Wanli crabs in recent years has continued to decline. Why are there fewer and fewer crabs? How can we enjoy them with peace of mind while truly conserving crabs? This is worth everyone's attention.