Solving a delicate crab problem

Chinese netizens have found that crabs, four of which weigh less than a kilogram and sell for up to 700 yuan ($110) in Shanghai, are available for 40-60 yuan a kg in Germany because the invasion of this "foreign species" in German waters has caused a loss of about 80 million euros ($100 million) to fishermen there, says an article in Beijing News. Excerpts:

The crabs from China reportedly "invaded" the waters of Germany in the early 1900s. They have drawn so much attention because they not only reproduce in large numbers, but also cause damages to fishing equipment, fishing infrastructure and local biodiversity. And since most Germans don't eat crabs, they sell them to Chinese restaurants and families at low prices.

As a result, netizens have suggested various ways to "help" German fishermen to solve this problem. For example, they could export as many of the crabs to China as possible and strike a win-win deal. When silver carps ran rampant in the United States after being introduced there, local fishermen started selling them to China at a time when wild silver carps had become almost extinct in China because of over-fishing.

Foreign species invasion is not new. It has been a problem for China too. Chinese netizens have paid so much attention to the crabs because of the difference in their prices in China and Germany at a time when crab numbers in China are dwindling at a fast pace because of pollution and over-exploitation.

(China Daily 09/07/2012 page9)