Hairy crabs, a delicacy from Yangcheng Lake in Suzhou, will be back on the menu from Saturday, Yang Weixiong, director of the Suzhou Lake Yangcheng Hairy Crab Trade Association, said yesterday.

He said the catch this year will be better than the 2,000 tons landed in 2006, as the average weight of crabs was about 120 g, or 30 g more.

Yang said this was because of ideal water temperatures, cleaner water and better farming methods.

"This summer the water temperature has constantly been around 28 C, which is best for the growth of hairy crabs," he said.

"We have not had any blue-green algae this summer, so the clear water has allowed sunshine to reach the bottom of the lake," he said.

Farmers have also adopted better farming methods, he said.

For every 0.7 hectare of lake around 30 to 50 silver carp have been introduced to eat plant matter and generally clean the water.

The only negative, Yang said, was prices would go up 5 to 10 percent. A kilogram of mature crabs is expected to fetch 300 yuan ($40), up from 240 yuan last year.

This year, he said, the hairy crab trade association would not stipulate prices and farmers would be allowed to sell at the market price.

Even so, Yang said the trade association would work with the government to prevent overcharging and prices could drop a little after the October national holiday.

Quality control by the local government of the crab catch was expected to be stricter this year, Qin Wei, an official with Suzhou's agricultural bureau, said.

(China Daily September 12, 2007)