Intern reporter Yang Tianyue

The "maxiao" with beer on the night market food stalls is a favorite of many consumers on the summer night food list. The crayfish restaurants in Gui street have seen a significant increase in passenger flow in the past month. With the large number of crayfish listed on the market, their prices have fallen significantly. The reporter recently visited the Jingshen Seafood Market and Shopping mall found that the price of crayfish per kilo has been as low as about 40 yuan.

According to industry insiders, the continued decline in crayfish prices is related to the industry's entry into an adjustment period. With this explosive "net celebrity" food gradually becoming a normalized catering business, is the "crawfish freedom" of crayfish lovers coming?

Cheap crayfish on sale

The Jingshen Seafood Market in Fengtai District is one of the largest aquatic products trading markets in Beijing. The reporter came to the market last weekend and found that in the more than 20 stores specializing in crayfish on the north side of the market, almost all the floor space is filled with Styrofoam boxes containing crayfish; in the hall, there are also three to five boxes of lively crayfish in front of many stalls with the words like "hairy crab," "scallop," and "oyster" written on it.

"The crayfish are on sale!" The stall owners enthusiastically solicited business, and many consumers were happy to stop and stay. "This year's crayfish is really cheap. In previous years, the smallest one would also sell for more than 30 yuan. This year, you can buy such a big one for 25 yuan. You can see how fat the tail is." said Brother Zhao, a citizen who is choosing crayfish.

The reporter observed that the crayfish sold in the Jingshen Seafood Market were mainly produced in Jiangsu, Hubei and Baiyangdian, Hebei. The wild crayfish from Baiyangdian is the largest and most expensive. The crayfish from Jiangsu and Hubei are relatively cheap. A single crayfish weighing 5 to 7 yuan generally sells for about 25 yuan a catty, and a catty of 7 to 9 yuan is only 28 to 30 yuan per catty. "In previous years, the cheapest ones would also sell for more than 30 yuan." A merchant said.

In addition to price cuts in the seafood wholesale market, crayfish in supermarket are also cheaper. In a Hema fresh supermarket near Beijing West Railway Station, cooked crayfish sells for 100 yuan 3 catties, semi-finished crayfish for 90 yuan 3 boxes, and the promotional price of fresh crayfish is only 79 yuan 3 catties, which is nearly half cheaper than previous years.

In the Faganjiakou supermarket, each box of crayfish with a net content of 900grams and 100 yuan for 3 boxes has attracted many consumers to stop." Children like to eat, and the semi-finished products are very cheap. Our family has bought it several times." Said Gao, a citizen living nearby.

The price was cut in less than two months

“I have two boxes of goods every day. This year’s price is definitely a good deal.” Brother Wang from the Jingshen Seafood Market is from Baiyangdian. He told reporters that at this time in previous years the farmhouse in his hometown had begun to receive a large number of tourists, and crayfish were not enough for the local tourists. This year with the high production, the surplus crayfish are sold to Beijing and as a result, the price is much cheaper.

Hubei and Jiangsu regions are famous throughout the country for their abundance of farmed crayfish. Brother Han, a merchant from Jiangsu in the Jingshen Seafood Market, has been in the crayfish wholesale business for many years. Recently, the daily shipment volume in the store can reach seven or eight hundred catties. "The peak sales season for crayfish is basically from May to July each year. During this time, the temperature rises and the growth rate of crayfish accelerates, so the price is cheaper." Brother Han said.

Taking the red shell shrimp from 7 to 9 dollars as an example, according to the statistics published by the Aquaculture Network, from June 11 to 17, the wholesale price of Wuhan Baishazhou aquatic products market was 16 yuan to 17 yuan per catty, while on April 12. The quotation from January to the 18th is 24 yuan to 31 yuan per catty-the price of crayfish has been cut in half in more than two months.

However, even during the large number of listings, the price of crayfish this year is much lower than in previous years. Brother Han said: "This price is indeed the lowest price in recent years."

"Internet celebrity" crayfish enters the adjustment period

The wholesale price of crayfish has fallen, and many consumers have realized the "freedom of crayfish." The relevant person in charge of the Hu Hotel told reporters that the passenger flow in the past two months has continued to increase. In May, the passenger flow increased by 12% compared with April, and the comprehensive revenue rose by 16%. "Basically, customers continue to line up from 6 pm until 1 am every day. The average daily traffic of each store exceeds 5,000 people, and the turnover rate of the table in the store can reach more than 600%."

According to industry insiders, the price of crayfish has continued to fall in recent years, which has something to do with the industry itself entering an adjustment period. From a food only few people eat to "net celebrity" food, crayfish has experienced a period of rapid development in the past 5 years. Since 2015, a large amount of capital has poured into the crayfish track. The crayfish restaurant brand "Hot Life", "Shrimp in Jacket" and the takeaway brands "Large Prawns" and "Lightning Shrimp" have successively earned millions to hundreds of millions of yuan worth of investment.

However, the crayfish industry has already entered a watershed last year. According to the "Investigation and Analysis Report of China's Crayfish Industry in 2020" compiled by the China Aquatic Products Circulation and Processing Association, the total output value of China's crayfish industry in 2020 is about 349.07 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 15.06%.

China Food Industry Analyst Zhu Danpeng believes that the crayfish industry has experienced rapid development in the past five years, and has now entered a period of flattening. "Crayfish merchants still need to upgrade to match the core demands of the new generation.

（Translated by YAO Yuhou Edited by WANG Jingyan）